The State Duma proposed to oblige Russian pharmacies to sell medicines by the piece 
Russian pharmacies may be obliged to sell medicines by the piece. With such a proposal regarding changes in the rules of work, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Stanislav Naumov and the Chairman of the Labor Committee Yaroslav Nilov, RT reports.
The parliamentarians are sure that their idea is will help Russians save money on treatment. In an explanatory note, they indicated that medicines can be sold without violating the integrity of the packaging – in blisters or ampoules.
State Duma deputies drew attention to the fact that they receive many appeals from citizens who are concerned about the rise in drug prices.
Order No. 403n of July 11, 2017 of the Russian Ministry of Health states that violation of the secondary (consumer) packaging is “allowed” if the amount of the drug specified in the prescription or when dispensing OTC drugs is less than that contained in the whole consumer package … In turn, Nilov and Naumov explained that this wording is not entirely correct.
They are convinced that this expression makes it possible to violate the packaging and sell a part of the drugs to the buyer solely at the discretion of the pharmacy. Thus, according to parliamentarians, not all Russian institutions are ready to meet customers halfway. Quite often, drugs are sold only in factory packaging.
Earlier it was reported that the number of pharmacies in Russia decreased over the summer. About two thousand retail outlets have stopped working due to a decrease in demand for drugs amid restrictive measures due to the coronavirus.