ITPC-ru’s 10th year of community-monitoring and analysis in the Russian Federation.
FROM THE AUTHORS
This publication is special to us. Its release marks the 10th anniversary of our work on monitoring the public procurement of ARV drugs in Russia. Although our first report was released in 2012, it covered a period of 4 years at once – from 2009 to 2012.
A lot has changed in 10 years. The Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, and regions of the Russian Federation were the main organizers of drug procurement in that time. The legal framework regulating the provision of therapy, procurement nomenclature and, of course, procurement volume has changed significantly. ARV therapy coverage in Russia has increased more than 10 times – from 43,000 persons in 2009 to half a million in 2019. However, it should be noted that in some aspects progress is almost absent and, in some areas, there has been a regression. This includes the continued widespread use of obsolete drugs, refusal to procure combination drugs, and interruptions in supply. However, first of all, we are talking of the fact that the epidemic growth continues to outpace the provision of antiretroviral therapy to people living with HIV.
Our organization has also changed a lot since then. We turned from a group of enthusiasts into a highly professional team of experts, began to apply the acquired skills throughout the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. The number of our publications and projects in general is growing, and we do not plan to stop there. We hope that we can continue to provide an interesting and important product for discussion and analysis by market participants and the community of people living with HIV. We sincerely thank everyone who has worked with us over the years to create all of our publications – medical specialists, sociologists, team members, authors, partners, sponsors and philanthropists. Without you, this fascinating journey would not have been possible.