Between January and February 2019, Russia produced 53.6 bln RUB worth of pharmaceuticals (dispatch prices, VAT included), which is in monetary terms 14.3% higher than that of the same period in 2018. In physical terms, the dynamics are -1.5%, with 651.5 mln units.

Between January and February 2019, Russia imported nearly 1.7 bln RUB worth of pharmaceuticals made in the EEU countries (wholesale prices, VAT included), which is in monetary terms 74.3% higher than that of the same period in 2018. In physical terms, the dynamics are +85.8%, with 42.2 mln units.

In 2018, Russia exported 26.1 bln RUB worth of pharmaceuticals drugs (customs duties included, exports to the EEU countries excluded), which is in monetary terms 19.3% higher than that in 2017 – the highest dynamics in the past 3 years. The dynamics in physical terms are -11.9%, with 520.1 mln units of pharmaceuticals.

Despite the relatively modest results of the Russian pharmaceutical market in 2018, most large and medium-sized Russian wholesalers did not have anything to complain about. A number of distributors showed significant development dynamics. The so-called “second echelon” companies showed nearly exceptional results, with several companies having double-digit dispatch growth rates.

In 2018, the Russian pharmaceutical retail saw one of the worst results of all time. The market volume was stagnating, while the dynamics in monetary terms could not rise higher than +2.2%. The dynamics in physical terms were negative, -3.2%. When even Rosstat could not register the incomes of the population growing, it is impossible to expect high purchasing activity. While the Rx drug dynamics were more or less stable, the decreasing dynamics of OTC drugs, dietary supplements, and certain categories of parapharmaceuticals significantly affected the profitability of pharmacies. The dynamics were declining not so much due to low sales of specific non-medicinal products, but rather due to these products being transferred into the so-called big retail, which offers the same products at more attractive prices.