The All-Russian Union of Patients (VSP) has proposed using the Russian Post for distance selling of prescription drugs, the Izvestia newspaper reports. It is reported that the VSP previously sent to the State Duma a roadmap for the development of innovations in Russian medicine. One of the most important points in the document is the introduction of remote circulation of prescription drugs. "The law on the remote sale of drugs has been adopted. But we believe that it is incomplete. It is necessary to launch a pilot project for the sale of prescription drugs for privileged categories of the population," said VSP co-chairman Yan Vlasov. The idea of distance selling drugs was not supported by all participants in the pharmaceutical market. Some of its representatives agree that it is impossible to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of drugs delivered by mail. "We already have a huge number of prescription drugs sold without a doctor's prescription. If you entrust the remote sale of such drugs to the Russian Post, control will be completely lost," warned DSM Group CEO Sergei Shulyak. Pilot pharmacies based on post offices have existed since 2019. Currently they work in 11 branches of Moscow, Samara and Ulyanovsk regions, Bashkiria and the Republic of Chuvashia. Earlier, a chatbot was launched in the capital to interview patients before admission to the clinic. The new service will reduce the time doctors spend collecting anamnesis.
