Newsletter on Pharmaceutics February 2019

This legal alert highlights the most important legal developments of January 2019 that affect the Uzbek pharmaceutical industry as a whole and activities of foreign pharmaceutical producers and their representative offices in Uzbekistan in particular.

Cancellation of advertising permits

The requirement to obtain  the permit to advertise medicines for minors will be abolished starting from April 1, 2019.

The legal act providing for the cancellation of the above permit also introduces some other minor changes, fixing, among other things, the right of individuals and legal entities to apply to any state center providing state services irrespectively of the place of their registration..

* Presidential Resolution of February 15, 2019

Changes in intellectual property legislation

The Agency for Intellectual Property has been reassigned to the Ministry of Justice. Until July 1, 2019, the inventory of registered trademarks will be checked to determine whether the registration has been made in conformity with law.

Some regulatory changes will be introduced starting from March 1, 2019. First, the information on submitted applications for the registration and the registration itself of trademarks, service marks and appellations of origin will be posted on the official website of the Agency for IP within 1 working day after the relevant procedure is completed. There will be a possibility for third parties to submit a note on the unfairness of a particular application. Secondly, the courts will be able to satisfy claims for early termination of registered rights to a trademark (a service mark or an appellation of origin), if it has not been used for 3 years or longer.

From September 1, 2019, applications for the registration of a trademark (a service mark or an appellation of origin) will have to be submitted only in electronic form.

* Presidential Resolution № PP-4168 of February 8, 2019

Simplification of general rules for doing business

A new Presidential Resolution approves the roadmap for improving the country’s position in the World Bank’s Doing Business ranking. Starting from March 1, 2019, liberalization measures in 7 areas (based on the Doing Business categorization) will be introduced.

Most important changes affect activities in the construction industry. For example, the permission to carry out construction and installation works has been cancelled and a notification mechanism about the commencement of construction works has been introduced instead.

Starting from March 1, 2019, state bodies will no longer require businesses to stamp official documents, while businesses - residents of Uzbekistan will get the opportunity to open bank accounts remotely. There will also be a number of changes aimed at enhancing protection of minority shareholders, liberalizing foreign trade, simplifying the registration of businesses, etc.

* Presidential Resolution № PP-4160 of February 5, 2019

Development of phthiziatry and pulmonology

The Presidential Resolution of February 13, 2019, provides for developing measures for countering the spread of tuberculosis and lung diseases in 2019–2021.

The relevant program provides for the reconstruction of buildings of relevant medical institutions, the equipping of these institutions, the development of new standards for providing relevant medical help, for equipping relevant institutions and for defining functions of relevant medical staff (by May 1, 2019).

* Presidential Resolution of 13.01.2019