Tongmengpharmthe journey of a medicine: from the lab to the pharmacy

An independent educational reference on how medicines are developed, registered and sold. It is not a pharmacy or manufacturer, sells nothing and has no connection to the former website on this domain; it does not replace a doctor's advice.

Sources

Sources and limitations

This page explains where the specific information in the reference comes from, why we discuss many things in general terms, and where education ends and a medical decision begins — one that only a professional can make.

We describe the road, not the destination. What treatment a particular person needs is decided by a doctor, and no reference can make that decision.

— Editor's note

How we select information

Specific statements — about clinical trial phases, generics and bioequivalence, Russia's State Register of Medicines, Roszdravnadzor's oversight of Russian pharmacies and WHO warnings about falsified products — are based on materials from official bodies. Other countries have their own medicines regulators and registers; readers outside Russia should check the official regulator where they live.

Everything else is general explanation of how the stages of a medicine's journey work. We do not quote statistics unless we can cite a reliable source for them, and we do not repeat unverified stories.

Development timelines, requirements for particular types of products and the rules for specific situations depend on many factors, so we describe them without figures and refer you to official registers and to professionals.

What the reference relies on

  • State Register of Medicines (Ministry of Health of Russia)
  • Roszdravnadzor (Russian federal health-care watchdog)
  • WHO — substandard and falsified medical products

What the reference does not contain

We do not name medicines or active substances, do not write about dosing regimens, indications or contraindications, do not suggest substitutes and do not discuss the treatment of any disease.

We do not sell medicines, take orders, publish prices or recommend pharmacies, manufacturers or intermediaries. The reference has no connection to the former online storefront on this domain and does not restore its addresses.

How we update the texts

The rules for the circulation of medicines are revised, so we reread our pages and correct outdated wording. If you notice a discrepancy with an official register, go by the register.

We keep things short on purpose: for someone standing at a pharmacy counter or reading an alarming news story, understanding what to do matters more than wading through a long text.

  • Research

    How to read news about a "new drug" and about clinical trials without mistaking a headline for a conclusion.

  • Safety

    How to avoid fakes: checking a pharmacy, warning signs and habits that protect you from falsified medicines.

  • Topics

    A map of the reference: development, registration, originator and generic, safe buying. The article catalogue is here too.

Sources

  • State Register of Medicines (Ministry of Health of Russia)
  • Roszdravnadzor (Russian federal health-care watchdog)
  • WHO — substandard and falsified medical products

Information is current as of the preparation date. Rules for registering medicines and selling them at a distance change from time to time, so check the official registers — in Russia, those of the Ministry of Health and Roszdravnadzor; elsewhere, your national medicines regulator — and ask a doctor or pharmacist about treatment.