The Association of Consumer Health Industry has been registered in Russia. The founders of the association are Johnson & Johnson LLC (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health in Russia), Bayer JSC (Bayer Consumer Health in Russia), GlaxoSmithKlein Healthcare JSC (GSK Consumer Healthcare in Russia) and Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare LLC (Reckitt Benkiser Healthcare in Russia).
This is the first organization in Russia that represents the interests of manufacturers and importers of over-the-counter drugs, consumer medical devices, food supplements (and other types of health products), and other market participants involved in the production and circulation of health products, including organizations that sell and distribute the corresponding products.
The Association’s work begins on the International Self-care Day, which has been celebrated around the world on July 24 for the past decade. The concept of “self-care” includes the prevention and treatment of diseases, health literacy and healthy lifestyle choices.
Members of ACHI (Association of Consumer Health Industry) have set three main goals:
– promoting the individual, social and economic value of taking responsibility for one’s health for the prevention and treatment of disease, contributing to the sustainability of the health care system;
– maintaining a dialogue with public authorities and actively participating in the development of a political, economic, and regulatory environment that meets the interests of the consumer in health care;
– assistance in forming a favorable regulatory framework for the market of over-the-counter drugs, food supplements and other consumer health products, including medical devices.
The Association has formed a five-year program with plans to develop and implement a communications strategy, provide better information about health products for the extensive consumer awareness, expand consumer access to over-the-counter drugs and consumer medical devices, help form the expertise needed to develop this segment, including using best international practices.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that Russians are ready to play a more active role in making decisions related to their own health and the health of their loved ones. This is the main goal of forming healthy and responsible attitudes: to give everyone the opportunity to make these decisions consciously and without the risk of harming themselves. In my opinion, the promotion of responsible self-medication is a tool that can be used effectively to maintain a healthy society. It is only necessary to clarify the limits of its use. The creation of an industrial association is a natural and logical step in this direction,” said Elena Nevolina, executive director of ACHI PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences, Executive Director of NP Pharmacy Guild and National Pharmacists Chamber, Executive Secretary of the Pharmacists Professional Qualifications Council.
“Consumer health products help to combat rising health care costs for people around the world. Short-term investments in self-care also lead to tangible savings for governments and health systems around the world in the long run. With the creation of the association, we at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health in Russia continue to meet the needs of our patients, consumers and the communities in which we live and work, always guided by our credo,” commented Managing Director of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health in Russia, Ukraine and the CIS, Lakish Khatalkar.
“Bayer focuses on the development of responsible self-care, because we sincerely believe that increasing the medical literacy of the population will lead to an understanding of the importance of a conscious approach to preserving health at any age. For many years, Bayer has been successfully developing the idea of responsible self-care in Russia. We are proud to be among the founders of ACHI and we believe that this initiative will become a driving force in changing the principles of health care,” said Taygun Gunay, Head of Cluster in Russia, Ukraine and CIS countries, Consumer Health Division of Bayer Company.
“We believe that now is the right time to create an ecosystem for the development of personal accountability to support the health care system. Personal accountability will play an increasingly significant role in the industry’s strategy. We need to figure out exactly how we are going to develop this: by investing in health literacy programs so that the population can increase their knowledge, by promoting the role and capabilities of companies in this direction, by thinking about establishing effective and high-quality partnerships. For most people, health care is inseparably associated with a high quality of everyday life. We believe that in the long term the development of personal accountability will lead to benefits for both individuals and society as a whole,” commented Konstantinos Limnidis, General Director of GSK Consumer Healthcare in Russia.
“Only through close cooperation and partnership of all participants of the health products market can we say that the idea of responsible self-care will be successfully developed and promoted. We see this idea as a long-term benchmark for people and health care system in the country, and for us – as part of the social responsibility of business,” commented Igor Radakovich, General Director of Reckitt Healthcare Products in Eastern Europe.
The association members, together with the Executive Director, intend to work on expanding the number of ACHI members, detailing the strategy for the short and medium term, and implementing it starting this year. All these actions are aimed at helping consumers and patients in Russia make the right and responsible choices when it comes to taking care of their health.