Picture of the day: digest of the main news from September 15, 2025
Main
#1 On September 12, 2025, the Rigla pharmacy chain became the owner of three new subsidiaries registered in Vladivostok, as indicated in SPARK-Interfax. The acquired Apteka25.rf LLC, Avanti Pharma LLC and Pharma Life LLC operated in Primorsky Krai under the Apteka25.rf brand. According to Rigla representatives, the deal included all 49 points of the acquired chain. The company emphasized that it would retain the staff and brand of the regional pharmaceutical retailer. The deal amount was not disclosed.
#2 The Presidium of the Intellectual Property Court (IPC) has dismissed the complaint of the pharmaceutical manufacturer Akrikhin. The Russian company tried to challenge the legality of the extension of the patent of the British-Swedish AstraZeneca for the drug for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus Forsiga (dapagliflozin). The exclusive rights of the foreign manufacturer have been extended until 2028 by a decision of Rospatent. Earlier, the IPC refused to satisfy Akrikhin's demand.
Litigation
The Moscow Arbitration Court has refused the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade's claim for 21.07 million rubles from the pharmaceutical company Biocad. The court pointed out that the agency had missed the statute of limitations on the case of the delay in introducing the drug Darbestim (darbepoetin alpha) into circulation, for the organization and conduct of clinical trials of which the ministry had allocated subsidies to the developer.
Government support
The Russian Government Prize in Medical Science has been exempted from taxation at the initiative of the Russian Ministry of Health. This is the third prize in the healthcare industry whose prize money is exempt from personal income tax. The I.I. Mechnikov Prize and the Nobel Prize in Medicine also have this benefit. The Government Prize in Medical Sciences in the amount of 1 million rubles was established in December 2024. Applicants can be domestic clinicians and scientists for achievements in three areas - in the field of preventive and personalized medicine, in neurotechnology, including cognitive, and in biomedical technologies.
Sankur market
The Family Doctor chain of clinics has announced the opening of a "city" sanatorium in Moscow, where it will be possible to undergo health programs and comprehensive check-ups in outpatient and hospital formats. As the company told Vademecum, the project will be implemented in a building with a total area of about 20 thousand square meters, located in Khamovniki. The lease agreement has already been signed. The concept of the medical center implies the creation of "a complete sanatorium infrastructure, combined with an outpatient and polyclinic complex." The volume of investment in the implementation of the project is not disclosed.
Career
Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov approved Andrei Sarana as acting chairman of the city Health Committee and Dmitry Lisovets as acting director of the Territorial Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund. Both officials began leading their regional structures in June 2025 after the resignations of Yuri Shishkin, who was appointed adviser to the Governor of St. Petersburg, and Olga Gorokhova.
Incidents
The FAS of Russia has found the companies Primafarm and Profarm to have violated antitrust laws. According to the service, the distributors entered into a cartel agreement and participated in 109 state purchases of vital and essential drugs in 2022–2024 with a total value of over 1.1 billion rubles. The collusion allowed them to maintain prices and limit competition in the supply of drugs, including antitumor agents and immunosuppressants. Following the consideration of the case, the materials were transferred to law enforcement agencies; the companies face turnover fines.
Organization of medical care
The Russian government has approved the reorganization of four medical Federal State Budgetary Institutions of the Ministry of Defense to create four new ones. The measures will affect the "1,029 Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance", "985 Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance", "412 Center for Provision of Medical Equipment and Property" and "411 Center for Provision of Medical Equipment and Property". The main objectives of the activities, the maximum number of military and civilian personnel, as well as a list of real estate have already been determined for the new institutions.
Other news:
Poll: 9% of Russians are very afraid of contracting COVID-19
Pilot project "Care Service" launched in Moscow Region
Novo Nordisk: Triple dose of semaglutide leads to 19% weight loss
AstraZeneca and Merck have suspended investment in their UK projects
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