Most of the customers at a drug store in northern Moscow prefer medicines made abroad because of their better reputation for quality.
"At this point, people don't trust Russian drug makers," said Larisa Bezuglaya, a pharmacist at the drug store.
Svetlana Kopteva, 34, who had just bought a bottle of French moisturizing cream, agreed, saying it didn't matter that Russian-made drugs were cheaper.
"If Russian drug makers improved the quality of their products while retaining lower prices than foreign firms, I might change my mind," she said.
The Russian government is hoping she will.
As of 2007, only one out of every five drugs purchased in Russia was produced domestically, and only one of the top 20 producers of drugs sold domestically was a Russian firm — Pharmstandart.
The Moscow Times
