Picture of the Day: A digest of the main news from September 23, 2025
Main
The Moscow Arbitration Court rejected Infamed, the company that holds the registration certificate for the antiseptic Miramistin (benzyldimethyl-myristoylamino-propylammonium),'s claim against the Austrian company Megainpharm GmbH. Megainpharm owns several Miramistin trademarks and grants Infamed the right to use them under a 2010 license agreement. The plaintiff sought to compel the copyright holder to continue to comply with the terms of the agreement. The court had previously granted Infamed's interim claim, prohibiting the defendant from withdrawing support for the trademark and re-registering it. This decision, however, was overturned by the appellate court at the request of Innovexa Holdings LLC-FZ of the UAE, which, according to the case materials, purchased the rights from Megainpharm back in 2024, including the trademark for Miramistin.
The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed updating the rules for dietary supplement labeling, with a focus on strengthening oversight of manufacturers. The draft government resolution envisages the introduction of remote and on-site monitoring, new evaluation criteria, and mandatory notification of inspections. If fictitious production or inaccurate data is detected, the operator of the Honest Sign system will be able to revoke labeling codes. The amendments, aimed at increasing market transparency, are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.
Exclusively
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a global transformation of the consumer market. Marketplaces not only provided convenient services during lockdown but also fostered a commitment to online commerce and provided a significant boost to the development of Retail Media. According to the consulting firm Yakov & Partners, the Russian market for digital advertising services provided by retail platforms has grown 300-fold over the past five years, reaching 300 billion rubles by 2024. Anton Panteleev, Managing Director of DPD Media, spoke to Vademecum about how this overall trend is influencing media promotion in the pharmaceutical market and how the concept of Retail Media unites pharmacy chain operators.
Regulators
A presidential decree has granted the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia (FMBA) new powers. Within its purview, the agency can now approve procedures for conducting medical, biological, and chemical-analytical testing of samples of special non-lethal agents. Furthermore, FMBA staff will be responsible for determining the maximum permissible levels of changes in the human body resulting from exposure to the damaging factors of such agents.
Career
• The State Duma, on the recommendation of President Vladimir Putin, appointed Igor Kagramanyan, Director of the Russian Government's Department of Health, as one of the auditors of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation. In addition to Kagramanyan, the following deputies have been appointed auditors: Maxim Zaitsev (LDPR), Oleg Nilov (A Just Russia - Patriots - For Truth), Danil Shilkov (LDPR), and Mikhail Shchapov (CPRF). According to information published on the Accounts Chamber website, decisions on all nominated candidates were made unanimously.
• Elena Teplyakova has been appointed Acting Minister of Health of the Rostov Region. This decision was made following the dismissal of Yuri Kobzev on September 19, 2025, in connection with the formation of a new gubernatorial team. Teplyakova graduated from the Rostov State Medical University and holds a doctorate in medical sciences. Since 2001, she has served as Deputy Minister of Health of the region, and since 2021, as First Deputy Minister.
Criminal cases
The Central District Court of Krasnoyarsk found Boris Barankin, former director of the Siberian Scientific and Clinical Center of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA), guilty of embezzlement of 15 million rubles (Part 4, Article 160 of the Russian Criminal Code) and sentenced him to six years in a general regime penal colony and a fine of 700,000 rubles. A representative of the pharmaceutical distributor SibPharmLogistic was sentenced along with Barankin; she received a suspended four-year prison sentence with a probationary period of three and a half years. A criminal case for embezzlement on an especially large scale was opened in early 2023. In March 2024, the investigation was completed, and the case materials were submitted to court. The investigation established that between 2019 and 2021, the defendants "organized a scheme for the fictitious delivery" of drugs to the medical center.
Infrastructure
The Arbitration Court of Kamchatka Krai will hear a claim filed by the Kamchatka Regional Hospital Construction Directorate against Crocus International JSC for over 90.7 million rubles. According to court documents, the contractor was significantly delayed in updating the hospital's design documentation—up to 872 days, having completed only two of the five stages. Furthermore, the client cited a delay in submitting the documentation package and demanded a separate fine of 100,000 rubles for this.
International agenda
US President Donald Trump has claimed that autism in children is linked to mothers taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy, causing a drop in the drug manufacturer's stock price and widespread debate in the medical community. The presidential administration is discussing changes to the drug's labeling, but the US Department of Health and Human Services, the WHO, and European regulators emphasize that there is no convincing evidence of such a link. Scientific studies only document possible associations, not causation, so current recommendations for the drug's use remain unchanged.
Other news:
SuperJob: Medical laboratory technician salaries can vary fivefold across regions.
A bill on free dentures for veterans has been introduced in the State Duma.
Morphic Medical Introduces Endoscopic Therapy for Weight Loss and Sugar Control
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