The State Duma called for limiting the advertising of medicines

It is necessary to tighten the regulation of advertising of medicines, the existing norms no longer reflect the scale of the problem. This was stated to Izvestia on December 15 by State Duma deputy, Deputy Chairman of the Budget and Taxes Committee Kaplan Panes.

According to him, advertising of medicines, especially on television and in the digital environment, creates a distorted perception of treatment among citizens and creates a false sense of simple solutions to health issues that require professional help.

"Research shows that videos showing happy and healthy people often directly contradict the readable list of serious side effects, which misleads the viewer and distracts attention from the real risks. Although surveys show that patients mostly rely on doctors' recommendations when choosing medicines, we cannot ignore the hidden impact that advertising has on their requests and expectations," the MP said.

The law changes the need: the State Duma proposed to provide certificates for the purchase of medicines to the poor

The nominal cost will be 25% of the subsistence level.

In addition, the promotion of prescription drugs under the guise of informing about the work of pharmacy chains is of particular concern, a practice that is explicitly prohibited in Russia and a number of European countries.

Panes clarified that strict restrictions are already provided for in the current legislation: advertising is prohibited, which guarantees one hundred percent effect or absence of side effects, as well as forming an attitude towards self-medication. However, as the parliamentarian noted, control over compliance with these norms should be significantly strengthened, since in practice they are regularly violated.

"First, strengthen oversight of compliance with current rules, especially in the digital environment, where the line between information and hidden advertising can be blurred. Secondly, consider the possibility of further restricting or completely banning the advertising of over-the-counter medicines in the media. Penalties for violations should be substantial, and in cases where unfair advertising has led to harm to health, it is necessary to apply the norms of criminal law," he said.

The MP stressed that comprehensive improvement of legislation and strict control will help provide citizens with reliable information and protect them from manipulative practices of the pharmaceutical market.

Earlier, on October 13, Alexander Rumyantsev, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, chairman of the expert council of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection for rare Diseases, spoke about the expansion of state support for patients with rare diseases. According to him, regions that are unable to provide patients with orphan diseases according to the list of the Ministry of Health can apply to federal authorities to receive a subsidy to finance such patients.

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