During the first few months of 2013, the Russian government has proposed, and in some cases adopted, new legislation that introduces a number of significant changes to the regulation of pharmaceuticals in Russia, including:

• improved access to government procurement for manufacturers and distributors of pharmaceutical products;
• continuation of preferences for pharmaceuticals qualifying as products of Russian or Belarusian origin; and
• the imposition of additional restrictions on the advertisement of pharmaceuticals in Russia, including potentially an outright ban on advertising all together.