In Q1–Q3 2021, the total volume of the online sales or reservations of pharmaceutical products (pharmaceutical drugs and parapharmaceuticals) in Russia amounted to RUB 141.6 billion (end-user prices, VAT included), 34.5% up from the same period in 2020. The total growth rate of the Russian pharmaceutical retail was just over 3%. After the disastrous results of Q1 2021, the largest growth was in Q2–Q3 2021.

This year’s growth rates of the Russian pharmaceutical retail market are in no way comparable to those in 2020. The panic and the associated rush demand have more or less subsided. With the inflation rates at a high level, the purchasing power leaves much to be desired, even despite the impressive income growth in Q2 and Q3. In addition, conventional pharmacies are under severe pressure from various online projects, which have been adding more and more services, including express delivery, which in some situations is critical for the consumer.

The Russian State Duma of the 8th convocation intends to continue working on the draft law that introduces restrictions for the pharmaceutical retail market and wholesale companies. At the same time, it is willing to revise certain provisions, including the maximum amount of marketing bonuses. While it may seem industry-specific, both the stability of the Russian pharmaceutical retail and the pricing policy at all stages of the movement of goods directly depend on that provision.

From January to October 2021, the sales of veterinary drugs in the Russian retail market amounted to RUB 18.5 billion (retail prices, VAT included), up 5% from January–October 2020. The most important factor for the growth rates was the inflation rate, as well as higher demand for premium segment products in certain regions. In minimum dosage units (MDU), the growth rate was –5.1%, with the sales volume of 144 million MDUs.

From January to October 2021, Russian manufacturers produced RUB 489.1 billion worth of pharmaceutical drugs (manufacturer’s prices, VAT included), down 21.2% from the same period in 2020. In physical terms, the growth rate was –16.8% due to the so-called “high base effect”, essentially meaning that large volumes of drugs used for the treatment of coronavirus were produced last year. The total production volume in January–October 2021 was 3.34 billion packages, or 61.1 billion minimum dosage units (MDU). Notably, the growth rate is higher if calculated in MDUs compared to packages, albeit still negative, –6.3%.

According to a survey conducted by the RNC Pharma analyst firm and the platform for doctors Medvestnik, 60.6% of Russian doctors believe that only trained physicians are qualified enough to be in charge of a healthcare facility.

In Q1–Q3 2021, Russian manufacturers produced RUB 432.7 billion worth of pharmaceutical drugs (manufacturer’s prices, VAT included), up 20% from the same period in 2020. Notable, the growth rates remain high for the third year in a row. In physical terms, the production volume was 2.98 billion packages; the growth rate was -16%. If calculated in minimum dosage units (MDU), the growth rate was -5.7%, and the production volume was 57.5 billion MDUs.

Only 4.8% of Russian doctors agree with the existing legal system in the healthcare, according to a survey conducted by the RNC Pharma analyst firm and the Doktor Na Rabote (Doctor at Work) social media service for doctors. Nearly the same number of the respondents, 4.7%, believe that mistakes that caused harm to the life and health of the patient should lead to the suspension of the doctor’s license. Blacklisting was the least popular answer option, with only 3.2% supporting such a measure.

More than half of Russian doctors (51.8%) believe that the CME system in its current form is “a pure formality”, according to a survey conducted by the RNC Pharma analyst firm and the platform for doctors Medvestnik. The second most popular answer, chosen by 15.4% of the respondents, was “most of the courses are very general and with minimal value.” Another 7.6% of the study participants say that the content quality is “very low”, since there are a lot of inaccuracies obvious to a specialist.

Only 6.1% of Russian doctors often recommend homeopathic / release-active drugs to their patients, according to a survey conducted by the RNC Pharma analyst firm and the Doktor Na Rabote (Doctor at Work) social media service for doctors. This group, mainly represented by men aged 46 and above, included doctors of more than 30 specialties, with 40% of them therapists, pediatricians, and neurologists. Another 27% of the respondents say that “the type of the drug does not matter as long as it is clinically effective”. Thus, about 33% of the Russian doctors seem accepting of release-active drugs.