Russia bans export of biological specimens

MOSCOW, May 30 (UPI) -- Russia is banning the export of human medical biological specimens to prevent the use of the materials in biological weapons.

The ban by the Russian Federal Customs Service could threaten the lives of dozens of patients and paralyze clinical research trials by pharmaceutical companies in Russia, Kommersant said Wednesday.

Kommersant said the decision was prompted by a government report on bioterrorism and the alleged development of genetically engineered biological weapons outside of Russia.

Glaxo Smith Kline spokesman Alexei Brevnov told Kommersant the decree is a a "serious blow" to Russian doctors and patients.

Hundreds of packages are sent each day to foreign labs for clinical analysis. Kommersant said much of the analyses requiring the export of biological samples can only be done abroad.

Pharmaceutical industry experts estimate the clinical trial market in Russia at $100-150 million annually.