GORKI, December 22. /TASS/. Reserves of vitally important medicines in Russia are enough for nine months and will be enlarged, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday.

“The state has made reserves for nine months, but we are working for the future now and are shaping this stable situation,” she pledged, noting that the medicine market was stable now.

“Today control over unconditional fulfilment of liabilities taken by state authorities regarding privileged categories of people was introduced,” Golodets said, noting that people entitled to benefits for medicines number 3.5 million. “First of all, we note fulfilment of our commitments for children under three, and those groups which are seriously dependent on medicines,” the deputy premier said.

Russia ready to launch long-term contracts with medicines producers

Golodets said Russia’s government is ready to launch long-term contracts to purchase medicines from producers, who will fix and squeeze prices.

“Talks are being held now. We’re proposing producers, primarily those who work on the domestic market, to conclude long-term (three-year) fixed-price contracts,” she said.

The government is also working out a possibility of providing additional financial support from the anti-crisis fund, Golodets said.

“We’re on firm ground to support Russian citizens and mitigate the effects on the medicine market,” she said.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the situation on the market of medicines is rather calm, and the rise in prices is linked not only with the fluctuation of rates.