A bill toughening criminal liability for the production, manufacture, storage, transportation and sale of counterfeit drugs and medical devices is introduced to the State Duma.
The author of the initiative is Senator Anton Belyakov.
The explanatory note available to Tass says that according to independent experts, Russia, along with China has moved into first place in the production and trafficking of counterfeit drugs, ahead of India, Brazil and Turkey, traditionally considered the major producers and consumers of fake medicines .
"According to the World Health Organization, the share of counterfeit drugs in Russia accounts to 12% of the total number of drugs. According to experts, the market for counterfeits in Russia is about 20 billion rubles," - the document says.