Opinions & Interviews

NEW DELHI, 11 September (BelTA) – Cooperation with India in pharmaceutics will help lower the prices for some medicines on the Belarusian market, Belarus Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko told the media, BelTA has learned.

“We need to search for options to lower drug prices. There is an absurd situation: some medicines in Belarus are several times more expensive that their foreign analogues. We should understand that this is a vital item of expenditure for the population, especially for senior citizens. Cooperation in pharmaceutics is crucial for us. Two companies from our delegation to India as well as the Belarusian Health Ministry will sign a relevant agreement,” the deputy prime minister said.

He emphasized that India has an advanced pharmaceutical industry. Belarus has also made great progress in this field over the past few years. “Some time ago the share of Belarus-made medicines on the domestic pharmaceutical market was 16 to 17%. The rest were imports from abroad. Today our share rose to over 50%,” Vladimir Semashko highlighted.

BelTA reported earlier that Belarus and India plan to open joint pharmaceutical companies in Belarus in 2017-2018. These enterprises are going to produce drugs to treat cancer, tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis, antitumor drugs, and monoclonal antibodies.