The contribution of the Swiss Russian Chamber of Commerce to SPIEF 2021

A delegation of the Swiss Russian Chamber of Commerce had a unique opportunity to take part in discussions at the SPIEF in person or via videoconference. The opinions of Swiss experts were highly appreciated in sessions devoted mainly to health issues and the fight against the Covid-19. This summit was held with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During the Healthy Life Programme, one of the members of the Swiss Russian Chamber of Commerce delegation, Prof. em. Dr. med. Robert Steffen from Epidemiology, Biostatics and Prevention Institute (University of Zurich), took part in the panel discussion “Fighting infections: future risks” together with Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, and Aleksandr Gintsburg, Director, "National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology named after the honorary academician N.F. Gamaleya" where a vaccine Sputnik V was developed, and others.

During the discussion, Professor Robert Steffen, responding to a question about the effect of the vaccine on fertility, debunked the myth that it can make it difficult to have children in the future. The professor called for a rational approach to protecting one's health from infections and not to succumb to unscientific beliefs. In his speech, Robert Steffen also urged people to vaccinate themselves with the vaccine available to them. According to him, this will help them get back to their normal lives more quickly. For comparison, he gave the example of air travel statistics in the United States, where vaccination against the coronavirus has been successful. According to him, last week passenger traffic there had already reached 73% of the pre-pandemic 2019 figure. But at Germany's Frankfurt am Main Airport, only 16% of air traffic has recovered so far. General vaccination against COVID-19 in Germany will not begin until June 7, so far it has been a priority for risk groups.

On top of that, as a member of the Swiss Russian Chamber of Commerce delegation, Prof. Dr. med. Natalia Rudovich, Associate Professor, Medical University of Zurich and Head of Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit (Buelach Hospital), attended the session “Modern therapies for diabetes mellitus: innovations to improve quality of life.” as part of the Healthy Life Area. She will be participating online from Switzerland.

The discussion led the session participants to the following conclusion: issue of technological development, the support and stimulation of scientific and clinical research, and the inclusion of new therapy regimens in clinical guidelines and increasing the availability of modern drugs is very important and requires federal support. The possibility of ensuring quick access to innovative methods of treatment depends on financing drug provision, expanding preferential lists, and creating patient registries among other things. Ultimately, such measures should merge innovative drug usage with the principles of an individual approach to each patient with diabetes. The panelists discussed what measures must be taken so that the necessary quantities of innovative drugs for the treatment of diabetes are produced in Russia, what needs to be done to provide patients with access to modern drugs produced internationally, what mechanisms and regulatory initiatives can stimulate the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture innovative drugs.

Member of the Swiss Russian Chamber of Commerce delegation, President of Swiss Medical Tourism Association Maria-Anna Laemmli took part in the session "Innovative Medicines: Access Code" and discussed the necessary programs of infrastructure development for innovative drug supply and its full production cycle. Participants of the session concluded that an important task is the strategy of building long-term and mutually beneficial international cooperation on the pharmaceutical market.