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State Duma Permits Cosmetics to be sold in Pharmacies

Client Alert

16/07/2010

The State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament has, on the third reading, approved amendments to the Federal Law No. 61 "On Circulation of Medicines" (the "Law On Circulation of Medicines"). These amendments permit any perfumes and cosmetic products to be sold in pharmacies.

The amendments are included in the draft law “On amending Certain Laws of the Russian Federation for Increased Availability of Medicines for Rural Residents”. The Council of the Federation, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, is planning to consider the draft law on 14 July 2010.

As of 1 September 2010 (its effective date) the Law “On Circulation of Medicines” permits pharmacies to sell “medical perfumes and cosmetics” (as opposed to any perfumes and cosmetics). Unless the amendments are finally adopted before then, non-medical perfumes and cosmetics may become unavailable in pharmacies from that date on. It should be noted that the law does not define "medical perfumes and cosmetics".

The amendments were not originally intended to be introduced into the State Duma until autumn 2010, after lawmakers return from their summer holidays. This would have meant that from 1 September 2010 pharmacies would have had to suspend the sale of all cosmetics from that date until the amendments were finally adopted. As noted above, if the amendments do not in fact enter into force, the position will be the same.

Julai Fedorova
Senior Associate
E julia.fedorova@cmslegal.ru

Newsletter
Client Alert - Cosmetics | July 2010
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