Dear Colleagues and Group Members,

Here is my monthly newsletter with the most important regulatory updates on medical devices in Russia for August 2017.

1. Restrictions for Plastic Consumables

In August 2017, the Russian government introduced two important regulations affecting public procurements of a broad range of medical devices made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics.
According to Resolution # 967 (link in Russian), which came into force on 25 August 2017, suppliers to the Russian market of medical devices manufactured with PVC will from now on be determined from the list of organizations implementing projects to localize the production of medical products in Russia in 2017–2024. The Resolution also sets rules for selecting such suppliers. In particular, organizations must have the right to technical documentation for the respective devices for a period of not less than ten years, and use technologies and raw materials developed within the framework of the Russian “Development of the pharmaceutical and medical industry” programme for 2013–2020.
At the same time, another adopted Resolution # 968 (link in Russian) includes six groups of disposables made of PVC plastics in the list of medical products for which state procurement from foreign manufacturers will be limited  (according to the Resolution #102 dated from February 2015).

2. Draft Resolution on Changes to Russian Medical Device Registration Rules

The draft Resolution on Amendments to State Registration of Medical Devices is another important document which was published (link to the draft in Russian) at the beginning of August 2017. The main change proposed in the draft is a simplification of registration of in-vitro diagnostics (IVD): by analogy with the simplification of procedures for I class devices introduced in 2015, the document proposes one-step expert assessment (so called expertise) for registration instead of the current two-step pathway. Another possible innovation proposed in the draft is a significant change of procedure in the amendment of registration certificates and registration dossiers (product re-registration): it proposes a list of changes which do not require expert assessment for re-registration, and establishes a timeline for such re-registration as 15 working days.
As of the end of August 2017, a draft of the document is undergoing regulatory impact assessment by Russian authorities.
 

3. Adopted Changes in Alcohol Regulations will affect some Medical Devices

On 29 July 2017, Russian authorities adopted Federal Law № 278-FZ (link in Russian), which changes measures to control the turnover/distribution of pharmaceutical substances of ethyl alcohol, including in the production of alcohol-containing medical devices. The regulation defines “alcohol-containing medical device” as a medical device in a liquid form, containing a pharmaceutical substance of ethyl alcohol (ethanol). The published law requires, in particular, additional registration and declaration procedures for legal entities that carry out the manufacturing and turnover/distribution of alcohol-containing medical devices in Russia. According to the regulation, lists of exceptions are established, i.e. “alcohol-containing medical devices” not covered by this regulation. These changes will become operative from 1 January 2018.

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