Belarusians should be provided with affordable and high-quality domestic medicines

20 февраля 2015

As stated by Alexander Lukashenko at today’s meeting on the pharmaceutical industry, Belarusians should be provided with affordable and high-quality domestic medicines.

The domestic pharmaceuticals market is currently estimated at nearly a billion dollars, with domestic products making up only 37.6%. The President reminded about the task set in 2010 to increase the share of Belarusian products on the domestic market up to 50% by 2015. “This is one of the aspects of national security”, Alexander Lukashenko said.

Last year alone, due to import-substituting pharmaceutical products the country managed to save 182 million dollars. According to the Health Minister, domestic medicines are no worse than imported ones despite lower prices.

A total of 28 companies are involved in the industrial production of medicines, but the lion's share is produced by six giants of the pharmaceutical industry department. The President is interested in the progress of modernization in the industry. The 174th Presidential Decree provides for the implementation of more than 30 investment projects. The Ministry of Health believes the modernization will result in mastering the production of nearly 500 new pharmaceuticals that are currently imported to Belarus.

As of last year, the volume of Belarus’ pharmaceutical exports amounted to 110 million dollars. Belarusian medicines are exported to 30 countries, primarily to the CIS and Russia. This year the country’s pharmaceutical industry should increase its output by at least a quarter, if not by 30-35%, to enter the huge Eurasian medicine market in 2016.

Today’s meeting agreed to develop and promote pharmaceutical science. Alexander Lukashenko supported the idea of creating a “road map” of the domestic pharmaceutical industry development until 2020.