BELARUS INCREASING LICENSE FEES FOR RUSSIAN IMPORTS

Belarus' government is considering increasing the price of licenses needed by local companies to sell Russian-made medicines in the country. It is hoped that the new measures will go some way to evening out drug trading regulations between the two countries.

Currently, Belarus-based drug importers are required to pay US$160 to register a Russian-produced drug in the country. However, if a Belarussian firm wished to sell a locally produced drug in Russia it would have to pay between US$10,000-US$12,000 per product for a six-month license.

Industry sources expect the new measures will help boost domestic production in Belarus. Local drugmakers only accounted for an estimated 21% of drug sales in 2004. In the first seven months of 2005, Belarus imported drugs worth US$16.4mn from Russia.

Meanwhile, drugmakers in the country are beginning to step up efforts to implement Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. Under government development plans, drugmakers will invest US$87mn towards modernising production facilities over the next five years, in order to help them compete on international markets.