Picture of the day: digest of the main news from September 5, 2025
Main
#1 RAAS and SoyuzPharma have asked the government to separate pharmacies into a separate category when calculating the standards for the accumulation of solid municipal waste. According to trade unions, after 2020, waste disposal costs have increased by an average of 10 times due to the equating of pharmacies with grocery stores or offices. The industry believes that creating a separate category will allow real waste volumes to be taken into account and overpayments to be reduced. The draft amendments are currently undergoing public discussion.
#2 The Russian government has approved a resolution allowing people with limited mobility to undergo medical examinations through hospitalization. Changes have been made to the program of state guarantees for free medical care. It is planned that such events will not exceed three days, and if a disease is detected, patients will be able to stay in the clinic and begin treatment. This applies to disabled people, including those who need constant outside assistance, and the elderly who live in remote areas and rural areas, if their arrival at medical organizations for medical examinations is difficult.
Pharmaceutical business
• Moscow Endocrine Plant (MEZ, or Endopharm) has begun the final stage of construction of the production and laboratory-warehouse complexes of the Lefortovo branch. The volume of investments in modernization will amount to 1.3 billion rubles. According to MEZ, the five-story production complex of the Lefortovo branch with an area of 14 thousand square meters will provide more than 600 new jobs for residents of Moscow and the Moscow region, and the laboratory-warehouse complex will allow storing up to 2 thousand pallets of drugs. Special chambers for heat-sensitive products and raw materials are also provided. There will also be engineering services, a quality control laboratory, a training center and an archive.
• Medsi Group announced the opening of a pharmacy on Novy Arbat in Moscow. This is the first pharmacy of the group located outside the contour of clinics. The facility with an area of 50 sq. m. was organized jointly with the hotel chain Cosmos Hotel Group. The advantage of the new pharmacy in the Group is the availability of consultations from nutritionists, cosmetologists and brand representatives for visitors. Visitors will be able to purchase the necessary drugs and goods both in the pharmacy itself and via home delivery.
Compulsory medical insurance system
The analytical company Cursor presented an overview of territorial programs of state guarantees of free medical care for 2025 and the planning period of 2026 and 2027. Experts calculated the median annual cost of the program per capita by federal districts and regions. On average, 37.4 thousand rubles are allocated per patient under the program in Russia. The Far Eastern Federal District became the leader in this indicator - with a total volume of territorial programs of 400 billion rubles, 66 thousand rubles are allocated per citizen in the district.
Prospects
The St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency has received permission to conduct phase II and III clinical trials of its own MCV-5 vaccine against meningococcal infection. The trials will involve 1,472 volunteers, and the clinical trial is scheduled to be completed in 2026. The main goal is to confirm the immunogenicity of the drug at the level of the French Menactra vaccine for serogroups A, C, W, and Y and to demonstrate superiority for serotype B, as well as to additionally evaluate the safety of use. The development is considered as an alternative to imported drugs and is associated with plans to include vaccination against meningococcus in the National Vaccination Schedule.
Initiatives
Pavel Krupnik, a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, has approached the Russian Ministry of Health with a proposal to consider an initiative to introduce fines for citizens who abuse medical care and call an ambulance "for trifles." The parliamentarian did not provide the criteria by which the degree of abuse would be calculated, but noted that the fine should be equal to the cost of the medical care provided. According to Krupnik, in conditions of a personnel shortage, such patients create extra work for already overloaded doctors.
Government support
The Innovation Promotion Foundation has completed the Student Startup competition, following which 319 medical projects received grants of 1 million rubles each. Most of the initiatives are related to digital healthcare, biotechnology, medical equipment, and the use of AI for diagnostics, rehabilitation, and personalized health monitoring. The ideas include new test systems, VR platforms for training doctors, bionic prostheses, women's health services, and solutions at the intersection of wellness and nutrition.
Career
The head of the Oryol Region Department of Health, Aleksandr Alyanov, has resigned . Regional media report that he wrote a letter of resignation on September 4, immediately after criticizing Governor Andrei Klychkov. The head of the region noted problems with providing beneficiaries with medicines and pointed out shortcomings in the construction of medical facilities. At a meeting with the heads of municipal entities, Klychkov publicly suggested that Alyanov leave his post, pointing out the lack of prospects for working together.
International agenda
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has ordered health care organizations to take into account religious and moral exemptions when vaccinating children under the federal Vaccines for Children program. Violating this requirement could result in exclusion from the program. The agency said it was stepping up enforcement of religious and religious freedom laws, and the Office for Civil Rights reminded that it is responsible for monitoring compliance with these requirements.
Other news:
Tkacheva: By 2050, the number of people with dementia in Russia could grow to 4 million
BioNTech Announces Successful Testing of Experimental Drug for Breast Cancer Patients
Ultrasound 'helmet' developed in UK for non-invasive treatment of Parkinson's disease
Danish Central Bank to Cut GDP Growth Forecast Due to Novo Nordisk
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