NEW HEMOFARM PREPARATIONS TO APPEAR SOON

Škrbić: The above mentioned articles were disputable again, but then all of a sudden, probably for political reasons, article
four also became disputable, which defines the headquarters of the agency for medicaments. We believe that it would be
a pity to close down the Agency for Medicaments of RS and establish from the beginning a regulatory body in Sarajevo. I
cannot understand for this reason the requests, which are more of a political nature, which come from Sarajevo, that the
headquarters of the agency must be in Sarajevo. I maintain that it need not be located in Sarajevo. We suggested a
compromise and very logical solution. We believe that the headquarters of the regulatory part of the agency should be in
Banjaluka, and that the quality control should be in Sarajevo, because Sarajevo has a respectable laboratory equipped
with modern equipment. This was disputable and I realized that some ministers had political instructions that this should not
be passed. The Agency for Medicaments of RS has been operating five years already, it employs around 40 employees,
of which more than 25 have a university degree in various fields. The Agency does its job very well and has done most in
the region in the sense of accepting regulatory principles defined by EU. The part related to the members of the
commission for medicaments was also disputable, this part foresees that there should be four members from the Federation,
three or two from RS, one from the Brčko district. We believe that this is intentional and impermissible. It is not possible to
introduce for such important issues, which are of technical nature, a majority decision making system which would entail
decisions which could be of harm to some in such a process of decision making. It is obvious that in our circumstances
everything is politics, even the law on medicaments, which is a purely technical issue.
Q: Are the producers from the Federation afraid of a uniform law being passed, which would also entail a uniform market?
Škrbić: We made a decision already back in 2000 to open the borders and RS has the most transparent market in the
region. You can find all producers here. That is maybe why the producers from Sarajevo fear that their market will be
affected and that their medicament prices will drop.
The Bosnalijek products are for example, far more expensive in the Sarajevo canton than in RS. Politics dictate the prices so
that Bosnalijek can have greater financial gain. It is logical that a uniform market for medicaments does not suit the
pharmaceutical industry of the Federation, because it is monopolist presently. And if they open the borders and the market,
then it is logical that their sales and product prices will drop. It is certainly also a question of lobbies which do not allow the
law to be passed and be fully implemented. Thus, we have double and triple criteria. Everyday a new reason is found, just
so as to prolong the passing of the law.
Q: There is a lot of discussion lately about the chaos on the market of medicaments. How do you see such comments?
Škrbić: The mass media from the Federation ask me often whether I agree that the situation is chaotic. I tell them that maybe
it is chaotic in the Federation, but not in our case. We have uniform lists in the whole RS, a uniform approach to registration
in the whole RS, balanced prices of medicaments and having this in mind I cannot say that the situation is chaotic for us. On
the contrary, we have quite an orderly situation and this can be confirmed by the representatives of the producers,
intitutions and patients.
Doctors from the Clinical Center in Banjaluka Visit Hemofarm
SURGEONS FROM BANJALUKA IN HEMOFARM
We continued the trend of good cooperation with the Clinical Center in Banjaluka at the beginning of October with the
visit of the doctors from this center. Our dear guests were this time the doctors from the Clinic for Surgery, headed by the
chief of the clinic Dr. Milan Simatović, while the hosts were the director of our company in Banjaluka, Aleksandar
Veselinović, the manager of the regional marketing, Dr. Saša Urošević, the expert associates in marketing, Dr. Marina
Garača and Dr. Marjana Tica, and the expert associate in production, Dragan Zorić.