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INFO RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK PRIORITY 3460
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RUEHLN/AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG PRIORITY 5589
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RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
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RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
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RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MOSCOW 000189 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
AIDAC 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/RUS, EUR/PGI, OES/PCI, OES/IHB 
OES/FO FOR CARTER-FOSTER 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO NAS, NSF, AND USAID 
USAID FOR GH, E&E 
HHS FOR OGHA 
HHS PLEASE PASS TO NIH AND FDA 
USDA FOR FAS/OSTA FOR MACKE 
DOL FOR ILAB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO PREL EAID SOCI KHIV TSPL ETRD ELAB EAGR KIPR
RS 
 
SUBJECT: Russian Deputy Health Minister Wants Expanded Health 
Cooperation 
 
REF: 09 MOSCOW 2978 
 
MOSCOW 00000189  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  In their upbeat December 14 meeting, Russian 
Deputy Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova and Ambassador Beyrle 
agreed that the Bilateral Presidential Commission's Working Group on 
Health should promote a substantial expansion of cooperation on 
health and medical sciences.  They concurred that it would be 
effective to create sub-groups to work on a few high-priority areas 
including cardiovascular diseases, healthy lifestyles, preventive 
medicine, road safety, and information technology applications. 
Skvortsova asked for detailed information on current National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to Russian partners so that she 
could seek comparable Russian co-funding.  Ambassador Beyrle noted 
and Skvortsova acknowledged that USAID and MOHSD are preparing a new 
cooperation document which would expand the existing partnership in 
several areas.  After the Ambassador raised serious U.S. concerns 
regarding pending Russian regulations on pork and poultry 
processing, Skvortsova said that she is interested in studying the 
available research demonstrating the safety of chlorine in poultry 
processing.  She indicated that her ministry would participate in 
the Agriculture Working Group of the Bilateral Commission if 
invited, so that U.S. and Russian scientists could cooperate on food 
safety issues.  When the Ambassador raised concern over rumors that 
a revision of the pharmaceuticals law by the Ministry of Health and 
Social Development (MOHSD) does not include intellectual property 
rights provisions required for WTO accession, Skvortsova only 
acknowledged that there are different versions being drafted by both 
her Ministry and the Ministry of Economic Development.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
LAUNCHING THE HEALTH WORKING GROUP 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) On December 14, Ambassador Beyrle met with Deputy Minister of 
Health and Social Development Veronika Skvortsova and an interagency 
gathering of Russian health officials to agree on an agenda for 
cooperation under the Health Working Group of the U.S.-Russia 
Bilateral Presidential Commission.  The discussion built upon two 
earlier meetings in late November and early December in which 
Skvortsova and officials of NIH and the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC) had defined areas of mutual interest for joint 
work (reftel) and continued dialogue with USAID and its implementing 
partners.  In response to a proposal on areas of collaboration that 
MOHSD gave to the Embassy at the end of September, the Ambassador 
presented both a U.S.-drafted expanded table of proposed areas of 
cooperation and a concrete list of U.S. proposals for cooperation 
activities for the immediate future.  He also handed Skvortsova a 
letter from Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
Howard Koh, inviting her to visit HHS during a planned trip to the 
United States in late February.  (N???: Skvortsova, a specialist in 
stroke research, plans to attend an international stroke conference 
in San Antonio, Texas, on February 23.  Post's health working group 
will follow up directly with MOHSD's International Department and 
HHS to arrange this and other meetings as appropriate.  END NOTE.) 
The Ambassador explained that Dr. Koh hoped to visit Moscow March 
10-11 to lead the U.S. side for the first meeting of the Health 
Working Group. 
 
¶3. (SBU) To help activate cooperation, the Ambassador suggested 
forming expert sub-groups on cardiovascular diseases and healthy 
lifestyles, which are high priorities for both countries. 
Skvortsova endorsed the suggestion and countered with a proposal to 
establish additional sub-groups on preventive medicine, information 
technology and telemedicine, and road safety.  She also expressed 
 
MOSCOW 00000189  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
interest in continuing the existing U.S.-Russia collaboration in 
developing countries under the Bratislava Initiative, which USAID 
has been facilitating.  She informed the Ambassador that MOHSD, in 
partnership with USAID and host government counterparts in third 
countries, had selected nine experts to take part in joint field 
work on HIV, tuberculosis, and other diseases of global importance 
in the past year, and agreed that this work could be extended.  The 
Ambassador noted preparations for a new cooperation document between 
USAID and MOHSD, planned for 2010, which will build upon and expand 
joint activities. 
 
AN EMPHATIC "YES" TO COOPERATION ON LABOR ISSUES 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Ambassador informed Skvortsova that the U.S. Department 
of Labor is interested in possible cooperation with MOHSD on 
workplace health and safety, mine safety, and employment for the 
disabled.  Skvortsova responded emphatically that the Ministry is 
interested in cooperating on these issues.  She said that Natalya 
Zharova, head of the Ministry's Department of Wages, Occupational 
Safety, and Social Partnerships, would be responsible for this 
cooperation.  (NOTE: We conveyed Skvortsova's interest to Department 
of Labor officials in December and will follow up with them to 
discuss next steps for cooperation on these issues.  END NOTE.) 
 
RUSSIA READY TO CO-FUND MEDICAL RESEARCH 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador called Russia's taxation of research grants 
an obstacle to expanding cooperation.  Skvortsova said that she is 
pleased that U.S.-Russian scientific interaction is growing and said 
that Russia is interested in co-funding research projects on an 
equal basis.  This would obviate the need to obtain tax exemption 
for grants by having Russian partners funded from Russian sources. 
She cited the model of Russia-EU cooperation on biomedical research, 
which is implemented jointly with the Ministry of Education and 
Science (MES).  She noted that she had already discussed the idea 
with MES Minister Andrey Fursenko, whose agency is responsible for 
approving research grants, including in biomedical sciences. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Skvortsova recommended that joint research projects link 
institutions, rather than individual scientists.  She asked that the 
Embassy provide detailed information about current NIH grants to 
Russian scientists so that her Ministry may determine the most 
promising areas for joint research in time to amend the 2010 federal 
budget.  The Ambassador agreed to provide more information, but he 
urged that the working groups should expand joint work into new 
areas and new activities, not replace or obstruct existing 
partnerships.  Skvortsova agreed with that approach, saying that the 
working group "should not change relations between scientists and 
specialists," that it should "expand and deepen interaction" and 
"add a new quality to the work."  She clarified that she would need 
to ask Minister Fursenko about funding. 
 
¶7. (SBU) NOTE: Following on Skvortsova's December 1 meeting with NIH 
representatives, the Embassy had already forwarded general 
information on the overall volume of NIH grants to Russian partners 
and the subjects of the research, but without naming specific 
grantees.  We continue to follow up with NIH to provide additional 
information as appropriate.  Some potential U.S. partners have 
voiced concern that interagency rivalries on the Russian side might 
cause disruption of ongoing programs if the programs are brought to 
the Ministry's attention in this way.  In an example of such a 
rivalry, the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, which is primarily 
responsible for international cooperation on biomedical sciences, 
submitted proposals for bilateral science cooperation to MOHSD, 
 
MOSCOW 00000189  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
according to our contacts at the Academy, but the Ministry did not 
include them in its list of proposed activities.  END NOTE. 
 
ADDRESSING CONCERNS ON POULTRY PROCESSING 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Ambassador expressed serious concern that proposed 
Russian restrictions on chlorine use and antibiotics, together with 
zero tolerances for naturally occurring bacteria, which were set to 
go into effect on December 15, would effectively shut down $400 
million in annual U.S. pork trade and threatened to close down an 
additional $700 million in poultry trade as of January 1, 2010.  The 
Ambassador passed Skvortsova a packet of scientific reports 
demonstrating the safety of chlorine use. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Skvortsova reminded the Ambassador that food safety is 
regulated by the Ministry's Department of Health Protection and 
Epidemiological Well-Being, as well as by the Federal Service for 
Surveillance for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being 
(Rospotrebnadzor).  Representatives of both agencies were present at 
the meeting.  Skvortsova said that Russia had carried out its own 
studies in this area and remained concerned about the toxicity of 
chlorine and its potential to cause cancer.  Also, she said, Russia 
had found a possible link between residual antibiotics on food 
products and drug resistance in humans, and the government is 
responsible for protecting the public against such effects.  She 
noted that harmless chemical treatment methods are available for 
poultry and meat processing, but that it would also be useful to 
study available data on the effects of chlorine and antibiotics and 
cooperate on further research.  She said she would discuss the issue 
with the MOHSD departments concerned, as well as with 
Rospotrebnadzor and the Ministry of Agriculture.  A USDA-USTR 
delegation visited Russia January 18-21 to discuss the issue 
directly with Rospotrebnadzor (septel). 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Ambassador asked Dr. Skvortsova whether an MOHSD 
representative could participate in the Working Group on Agriculture 
under the Bilateral Presidential Commission, so that U.S. and 
Russian scientists might cooperate more closely on food safety 
concerns.  Skvortsova responded that MOHSD would participate if 
invited to do so. 
 
DATA EXCLUSIVITY IN PHARMACEUTICAL LAW 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Ambassador raised U.S. concerns regarding intellectual 
property rights (IPR) protection in the current draft of a new "Law 
on the Circulation of Medicines."  The current draft does not 
include a provision for six years of data exclusivity, to which 
Russia committed in the November 2006 Bilateral Agreement ("side 
letter") on IPR as a condition for its accession to the World Trade 
Organization (WTO).  Skvortsova stated that there are in fact two 
draft laws in question: an amendment to the Law on Medicines 
developed by the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) and 
submitted to the government in 2008, and new draft legislation 
developed by MOHSD in 2009 that would replace Russia's existing Law 
on Medicines to regulate all stages of the drug industry in Russia. 
When the Ambassador pointed out that MOHSD's draft Law on 
Circulation of Medicines does not include the data exclusivity 
provisions, Skvortsova responded: "Both versions will go to the 
Duma, and we shall see what results."  (NOTE: MOHSD's draft took 
precedent and went to the Duma on December 26.  The MED data 
exclusivity amendments have not yet been presented.  The Duma's 
Health Committee is taking industry comments until January 25. 
Industry is working to submit comments to the committee on time. 
End Note). 
 
MOSCOW 00000189  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
POLICY EXCHANGE ON HEALTHCARE REFORM 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶12. (SBU) At the conclusion of the meeting, at Skvortsova's request, 
the Ambassador gave a summary of the latest developments in U.S. 
healthcare reform.  Skvortsova listened intently and asked the 
Ambassador why the proposed reforms are so controversial.  She 
acknowledged the extreme complexity of the issues in play and said 
that she would be interested in further discussions of the reform 
process as it continues. 
 
¶13. (SBU) COMMENT: This third meeting between Dr. Skvortsova and 
U.S. officials in less than a month further demonstrated the Health 
Ministry's strong interest in revitalizing cooperation with the 
United States, as well as the close alignment of our interests in 
this area.  Although we have not yet met with Minister of Health and 
Social Development Tatyana Golikova herself, the meetings with 
Skvortsova have nonetheless been highly productive, as Skvortsova is 
a career health professional with a strong personal interest in 
advancing these issues. 
 
BEYRLE