Murashko: “There is no shortage of drugs in pharmacies”

There is no shortage of medicines in Russian pharmacies at the moment, as the supply chains have adapted to the current situation, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told reporters. According to the head of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the supply chains have adapted to the current situation.

Earlier, Murashko said that it is necessary to develop additional mechanisms so that pharmacy and wholesale chains provided supplies from warehouses in a timely manner, because in the periods of mass consumption of medicines they need to be shipped immediately, taking into account the distances to be covered in the country.

“What shortage are you talking about? There is no shortage,” Murashko said, answering a question about the availability of medicines in pharmacies.

In his response to a question about the situation with the timely delivery of medicines to pharmacies, the Minister noted that the short-term logistical difficulties had been overcome. “The [supply] chains have adapted. In addition, an experiment has started on the remote sale of some prescription drugs,” he added.

A shortage of a number of drugs in pharmacies was reported earlier, which was also confirmed by Vladimir Putin in January:  “The fact is that, first of all, prices have increased in our country recently, and there has been some shortage for some medicines, despite the fact that we have seen an increase in pharmaceutical production. Over the three quarters of last year, the growth amounted to about 22%, and 60% of medicines on the market are produced domestically. Nevertheless, some drugs were in short supply, and prices have gone up.” Russian President Vladimir Putin also added that it is necessary to create a reserve of the most popular medicines in the Russian Federation for certain periods, in particular, for autumn/winter season.

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