The list of parallel imports may include brands of contact lenses that have stopped deliveries to Russia. This was reported on May 24 by the press service of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
“In the event of a cessation of supplies of contact lenses, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia will promptly consider the issue of including the products of brands that have stopped deliveries in the list of parallel imports,” the report says.
Earlier that day, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, told Izvestia that the department intends to optimize the list of brands that can be imported into the Russian Federation through parallel imports. According to him, the list should contain only those goods for which there is an unmet need.
Earlier, on May 17, the head of the FAS, Maxim Shaskolsky, at the final board of the department, said that the parallel import mechanism should be introduced for all categories of goods, except for products whose production is localized in Russia.
Parallel imports were legalized in the Russian Federation in June 2022 after some foreign companies left the Russian market, as well as the suspension of the supply of certain goods to the Russian Federation amid the geopolitical situation and anti-Russian sanctions. The scheme allows certain products to be imported into the country without the permission of foreign right holders.
On September 7 last year, Manturov noted that the corresponding mechanism would operate until the end of 2023.
