Following the example of Europe and the world, where pharmaceutical companies join forces to improve business, the Genezis association established a representative office in Montenegro at the end of September this year. Genesis was founded as a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political and independent association of producers and holders of licenses for the sale of generic drugs, with the clear intention of uniting and representing the common interests of all its members on the Montenegrin market.
Rich with five years of experience since its foundation in Serbia, where the association has 15 member companies, among which are Sandoz, Teva, Richter Gedeon, Woerwag Pharma, BBraun, Belupo, Bosnalijek, Nobel Ilac, Jadran Galenski Laboratorij, Goodwill Pharma, Extractum Pharma , Sopharma Trading, SK Pharma, Unifarm Medicom and Farmalogist, our intention is to connect all generic companies, members of Genesis, with the health authorities in Montenegro, in order to convey all questions with a harmonized voice, offer answers, offer the connection of different interests into one, for the benefit of patients in order to make therapy available.
We will try to gather and support the generic industry in this market as well, which provides quality and affordable medicines to millions of patients and thus stimulate competitiveness and innovation in the pharmaceutical market.
As other associations in Europe and the world do, we will strive to be involved in the work of all national institutions dealing with health in the Montenegrin market (we are members of the Working Group of the Ministry of Health of Serbia for the drafting of the Law on Medicines, we are involved in the drafting and declare legal and by-laws related to pharmacy and healthcare) to offer the experience of experts from companies whose principals are located all over the world, in order to improve the pharmaceutical market, offer more modern modalities and enable the patients of Montenegro to be treated with drugs that are used to treat patients all over the world .
Our intention is to become an equal and active member of the European Generic Association (EGA), which for years has been successfully promoting the concept of faster and greater access to essential medicines with simultaneous significant savings, which can only lead to the introduction of innovative treatments.
We started the first year of business in Montenegro by presenting the association to all state institutions that deal with healthcare: the Ministry of Health, CALIMS, the Health Insurance Fund, as well as the membership of foreign generic drug manufacturers. From October until now, four contracts have been signed and several more companies are in the process of becoming members.
Our ambitions are big, we hope that by including as many companies as possible and the ideas they bring, we will contribute to the health care of Montenegro, registering and putting into circulation more affordable medicines, saving money for both patients and health authorities, enabling accessible medicines and a wider list of medicines to patients.
Dr. Ana Popovi ć
Director of the Association for Serbia and Montenegro