I’ve just returned from Kiev, Moscow, and Algiers where I spoke on pharmaceutical quality, bioequivalence, and generic interchangability. (And, yes, I did get a chance to tour around a little too.)
Two comments worth sharing.
* In Algiers, the head of the domestic generic drugs manufacturers, told me that the issues of generic quality and therapeutic substitution were “obsolete.” It was a laugh line – because that’s how the audience responded.
* In Moscow, at a meeting of federal and provincial healthcare officials, one comment (relative to patient choice vs. limited formulary options) was, “The only patients who give us trouble are those who want more expensive treatments.”
In Russia -- if you like your insurance, you can keep it. If you don't like it, you can keep it ... quiet.
Think of it as a healthcare safety nyet.
