In this comprehensive report, now in its third edition, we present a detailed and current review of the trademark aspects of the pharmaceutical industry in Russia today – a market that Deloitte valued at almost US$30 billion in a recent study.
Russia's mandate to achieve innovative pharma industry
At an accelerating pace over the last decades, there has been a strong mandate to establish an effective and innovative pharma industry in Russia that will stand and succeed on its own. This has left multinational innovators wondering what long-term term presence they could hope to have in Russia. Observers and participants see dynamic changes and long-ranging opportunities, but these are also weighed against a backdrop of possible further sanctions and counter-sanctions, Russian economic stagnation, and other challenges.
"Pharma 2020" plan aims to localize Russian pharmaceutical market
In 2009, the Russian government introduced its ambitious "Pharma 2020" plan to develop and foster innovation and the localization of the Russian pharmaceutical market. Among other things, this incentivized international pharma companies with long-term interests in Russia to localize production. It also clearly guided the market to reshape in favor of locally produced medicines.
Draft "Pharma 2030" launched to enhance localized and innovative programming
In 2018, Pharma 2020's successor, "Draft Pharma 2030," was unveiled, identifying key problems remaining in the industry, and pushing a still more aggressive localized and innovation program. It allocates funds for the further development of the Russian pharmaceutical sector, for example, not only for the localized production of the medicines themselves, but for every aspect of their manufacture.
COVID-19 has of course compounded the government's determination to push its localization agenda forward and to move quickly on many other health care-related initiatives, such as online pharmacies. Here, we examine where things now stand with Pharma 2020, as well as the ground being rapidly laid for Pharma 2030.
Overview of guide
- This review begins with an economic overview of the pharmaceutical industry in Russia and the drive for growing the market of locally produced medicines;
- It then takes a detailed look at the legal foundations for the protection of trademarks in Russia, followed by a guide to recent decisions by Russia's IP Court and the RF Supreme Arbitration Court;
- Next, it examines the counterfeit pharmaceuticals market, as well as of the ongoing anti-counterfeit effort to fight it; and
- Finally, there is an analysis of the parallel importation of pharmaceuticals in Russia and concerns about what the possible legalization of parallel importation could mean for the pharma sector.