In January–May 2022, Russian manufacturers produced 311.1 billion rubles’ worth of pharmaceutical drugs (manufacturer’s prices, VAT included), more than 30% up from January–May 2021. In physical terms, the production volume was 1.8 billion packages, up 5.6% from January–May 2021. If calculated in minimum dosage units (MDUs), the manufacture was 33.5 billion MDUs (up 2.7%).

From January to May 2022, the offline sales of veterinary drugs in the Russian retail market were 9.1 billion RUB (retail prices, VAT included), down 0.2% from January–May 2021, which means that the market is stagnating, pressured by the online segment. In physical terms, the volume was 56.6 million minimum dosage units (MDU), down 18.4% in MDUs.

According to a survey conducted by the RNC Pharma analyst company and the Medvestnik platform for doctors, 88% of Russian doctors do not think that the current obligatory medical insurance (OMI) plans cover the actual expenses, with their opinions varying slightly on how much the plans do cover. For example, one-third of the respondents (32.7%) believe that the plans cover at best 50%. The second most popular opinion (25.6%) was “from 50 to 60%.”

Various patient organizations have repeatedly said that a standard doctor’s appointment should be longer. At the same time, 59.2% of Russian doctors would spend this additional time for “physical examinations and direct questioning”, according to a survey conducted by the RNC Pharma analyst company and the Medvestnik platform for doctors.

In January–April 2022, Russia imported 12.4 billion rubles’ worth of veterinary drugs (customs clearance and VAT included), down 3.6% from the same period in 2021. As for feed supplements, the import volume was 15.5 billion rubles, up 23.4% from January–April 2021.

In January–April 2022, Russia imported 260 billion rubles’ worth of ready-made pharmaceutical drugs (customs clearance and VAT included), up 3.1% from the same period in 2021. As for bulk drugs, the import was 57.7 billion rubles, up 24.6% from January–April 2021. In physical terms, the growth rate was negative for both group: down 9.3% for ready-made drugs (543.7 million packages), and down as much as 31.4% for bulk drugs (498.3 million minimum dosage units—MDUs).

In January–April 2022, Russia imported 73.2 billion rubles’ worth of APIs (customs clearance and VAT included), up 0.5% from the same period in 2021. In physical terms, the import volume was 6,500 tons, up 15% from January–April 2021. However, mostly January and February contributed to the high growth rates.

From January to April 2022, Russian manufacturers produced 258.8 billion rubles’ worth of pharmaceutical drugs (manufacturer’s prices, VAT included), up 29.3% from the same period in 2021. In physical terms, the production volume was 1.47 billion packages, up 3.5% from the year before. However, if calculated in minimum dosage units (MDU), the production volume was 26.9 billion, up only 1.3%.

In Q1 2022, the online sales or reservations of pharmacy products (pharmaceutical drugs and parapharmaceuticals) in Russia were 78.4 billion rubles (end-user prices, VAT included), 69.6% up from Q1 2021 against 52.7% in 2021 / 2020. The online segment seems to be growing faster and faster, but last year the growth rate of the online were several times that of the offline. Now, however, the growth rate of the online only doubles that of the offline, with the sales in the traditional pharmaceutical retail channel having increased by 32.4%.

Global changes in the logistics system followed Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, becoming one of the main topics in recent months. These changes made it impossible for certain transport corridors to function, as well as increased the risks of imports failing to pass through the territories of certain countries, in particular Poland. Finally, air traffic bans were a result of political pressure in the form of sanctions, suspending the reservation of certain container lines intended for imports to Russia. Obviously, this led to changing both the import routes themselves and the terms of additional insurance, prepayment requirements, etc. In one word, logistics became significantly more expensive than in the pre-crisis period.