MOSCOW, June 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's customs service denied media reports that it had suspended the export of human clinical specimens, and stressed it had only imposed certain restrictions, in a news release Friday.
The Federal Customs Service said that under the new rules: "Customs authorities will give first priority to bio materials necessary for emergency medical aid passing customs control on the Russian border."
Russian business daily Kommersant reported Wednesday that Russia had suspended the export of all human clinical specimens over bio terrorism concerns, a move that it said could affect dozens of patients and paralyze the Russian market for foreign clinical tests, valued at up to $150 million.
But Russia's chief sanitary doctor, Gennady Onishchenko, told the newspaper: "All civilized countries regulate exports and imports of biological materials for biological security reasons."
The customs service director said his service and Russia's Health and Social Development Ministry would soon develop a special procedure to regulate biomaterials leaving the country.
"Together with the health ministry, we will very soon work out a procedure to ensure comfortable conditions for people who are genuinely undergoing treatment, and not violating legal procedures," Andrei Belyaninov told journalists.
The customs service said earlier that international demand for bio materials is high, and cases of criminal trade in specimens have been documented.
