Russian retailers may get a permission to sell medicines, which do not require a prescription. The report “The opportunity of selling medicines at distributive networks”, worked out by Ministry of Healthcare, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Economic Development and the Federal Antimonopoly Service will be presented to the Government December 1.

      

Selling prescription-free medicines outside chemistries is to increase the competition in the pharmaceutical market and to cut down prices on the medicines. Prescription-free medicines make up about a half of total sold medicines in the market, which is estimated in 468 billion Rubles (about $ 15 billion) in 2011 and may make a 15% surplus in 2012.

      

In 2011 the largest networks of pharmacies on the turnover were “36.6”, “Rigla” and “Implosia”, three of them taking 7.2% of the market.

      

 

      

      

 

Author: Irina Fomina

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