The panel discussion ‘Drug Security: Strategic Course of Social Policy in the Far East. Challenges and Opportunities’ is part of the thematic pillar ‘Creating a New Quality of Life for People’ in the business programme of the Eastern Economic Forum. The session is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation’s Healthy Life project.

The discussion will be moderated by Alexander Petrov, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Drug Circulation and the Development of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Industry of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection.

Drug security is a key priority of the national social agenda. In the face of challenges, issues such as preserving the availability of medicines, the financial sustainability and technological sovereignty of the pharmaceutical industry, and the fulfilment of state guarantees on drug provision require prompt attention and careful monitoring. The main goal is to not only ensure the extensive availability of drugs, but to guarantee that citizens have access to the most effective modern treatments, especially in remote areas of the country. Despite the sanctions, the regions of the Far East should not experience a shortage of medicines. This notion provides a powerful incentive for the development of the pharmaceutical industry, but it is limited by a number of factors, such as underdeveloped infrastructure, small market capacity, and the remoteness of the region from the larger domestic markets and major raw material producers, which makes the inflow of investment difficult. Nevertheless, the FEFD has vast potential for development. 

“Citizens throughout our country, including residents of settlements that are far from the large centres of the Far East region, must be fully provided with all necessary medicines. The Far East has enormous potential for the development of the pharmaceutical industry and the launch of new innovative pharmaceutical production,” Petrov said.

During the meeting, experts will discuss what strategic decisions, both at the state and macro-regional levels, can ensure the broad availability of medicines, what are the prospects for opening new pharmaceutical companies and localizing production in the macro-region, what industries can we cooperate with to develop new technologies, and how to create conditions for economic development and increase the investment appeal of the industry in the new realities.

The information partners of the Healthy Life project at the Eastern Economic Forum are: Doctor TV Channel, Pharmaceutical Bulletin, Medvestnik, GxP News, Healthcare of Russia, Social Protection in Russia, Remedium Group, Russian Doctor Publishing House, and Expert Siberia and the Far East.