Pharmaceutical Innovations on the List of Essential Medicines: Planning Horizon

Russia’s list of vital and essential medicines is a key tool for ensuring access to drug therapy and regulating prices. Considering the regular updates to the list, the emergence of innovative targeted and personalized therapies, as well as the push to localize production, we are seeing a growing need for more predictable planning concerning the inclusion of these drugs in the pharmaceutical supply system. In this context, it is time to hold discussions about the development of drug selection mechanisms that take into account clinical indications, patient groups, proven efficacy, economic feasibility, and budgetary impact. What approaches could be taken to the inclusion of drugs based on indications and patient groups as the list of vital and essential medicines evolves? How can we synchronize decisions regarding the list, clinical guidelines, and the state guarantee programme to ensure a more consistent pathway for innovations to reach patients? What planning horizon and real-world clinical data are needed to evaluate drug efficacy and for manufacturers to make informed investment decisions?