The VED list commission: lessons from April and 22 candidates for August
In April the Ministry of Health commission backed only 2 of 8 applications, while 22 medicines are already tabled for the August session. We look at what the decision statistics show and what sets successful dossiers apart.
Russia's Vital and Essential Drugs (VED) list for 2026 was approved by Government Directive No. 3867-r of 18 December 2025 and has been in force since 24 February 2026: 827 items, eight new INNs (including capivasertib, camrelizumab, darolutamide, lorlatinib, luspatercept, pretomanid, pegfilgrastim and goflikicept), with twenty items removed. Work on the next cycle is already under way: the Ministry of Health commission responsible for the drug lists met on 28 April, with the next session scheduled for August 2026.
The April session: 2 out of 8
On 28 April the commission reviewed eight applications for inclusion in the VED list. Two were supported: sonidegib (locally advanced basal cell carcinoma, Sun Pharma) and pazufloxacin (an antibiotic, AlPharma). Asciminib, epcoritamab, tremelimumab, finerenone and pegunigalsidase alfa were rejected; the mosunetuzumab application was withdrawn by the applicant before the session, and lonoctocog alfa was not considered for the 14 High-Cost Nosologies programme on procedural grounds - the product is not on the VED list, which is a mandatory precondition.
The voting details are telling. Sonidegib passed comfortably (17 in favour, 2 against), with the backing of the Ministry's chief oncology specialists. Pazufloxacin passed by the narrowest of margins (10 to 9) - after the applicant publicly committed to cutting the price to RUB 580 and RUB 348 per pack depending on strength. Once again, the economic offer proved the decisive argument in a borderline case.
August: 22 candidates
Following the documentary review of second-quarter applications, 22 medicines have been tabled for the August session. These include ten oncology products (among them trastuzumab deruxtecan, datopotamab deruxtecan, sotorasib, encorafenib and binimetinib, teclistamab, ravulizumab), three diabetes treatments, three HIV medicines (rilpivirine, cabotegravir, fostemsavir), the triple combination for cystic fibrosis (ivacaftor + tezacaftor + elexacaftor and ivacaftor), as well as candidates for the 14 High-Cost Nosologies list. According to industry media, the repeat review of mosunetuzumab has been moved to August and finerenone to November.
What this means for applicants
The pattern across recent sessions is consistent: only a minority of applications pass, and three factors prove decisive. First, the quality of the pharmacoeconomic case and budget impact analysis: the commission consistently rejects dossiers where the additional budget burden is not offset by clinical value or price concessions. Second, the applicant's readiness to make specific pricing commitments, fixed before or during the session. Third, procedural discipline: the lonoctocog alfa case shows that even a strong dossier will not be heard if the sequence is not respected (VED list first, then the 14 High-Cost Nosologies programme).
Resubmission is a normal part of the process: a significant share of medicines are included on the second or third attempt, with each new application requiring updated data and, as a rule, a revised economic offer. Companies whose products did not pass in April would do well to study the session minutes now and plan their next application around the objections raised.
Sources
Government Directive No. 3867-r of 18 December 2025; materials of the Ministry of Health commission session of 28 April 2026 (Kommersant, Vademecum, healtheconomics.ru); documentary review data for Q2 2026 applications (Russian Ministry of Health).
This material is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Decisions on the inclusion of medicines in reimbursement lists are made by the authorised state bodies.
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