Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree limiting purchases of imported medicines, according to a document published on the government's website on Wednesday.
According to the authors of the document, the measure is aimed at the development of domestic production and will apply only to state purchases of imported medicines.
The new regulation, due to come into effect on Dec. 7, will affect 608 medicines included in Russia's Vital and Essential Drugs List, according to Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday.
Two hundred and eighty-two of these medicines are currently being produced in Russia by two or more manufacturers, Manturov said.