Experts explained why new pharmacies are not opening in Russia

RNC Pharma analysts have diagnosed the Russian pharmacy market: the infrastructure is degrading. New pharmacies practically stopped opening, and people began to actively use online marketplaces to purchase medicines and medical products. And yet, replacing a pharmacy with remote centers in many cases is impossible and even dangerous, experts say. MK learned how to save the pharmacy market.

According to RNC Pharma, over the 10 months of this year, the country’s pharmacy network has grown by only 220 points, although last year about 350 new facilities were opened every month. Pharmaceutical retail profitability has fallen sharply. And one of the main roles in this was played by the authorities’ decision to allow the sale of medicines through marketplaces. As analysts note, if drug sales in pharmacies in the first three quarters of 2023 grew in rubles by only 5.4%, then the growth rate of revenue in online commerce is significantly higher: for example, sales of blood pressure monitors or nebulizers grew by more than 80%.

…Today Russia is in 10th place in the world in online sales; every third ruble in trade is sales via the Internet. It is not surprising that the share of sales of pharmacy products through online platforms is also growing. Sales of non-prescription drugs increased the most (they were almost equal to sales of cosmetics). If in the first quarter of 2022 the volume of sales of non-prescription drugs through online platforms was just over 1 billion rubles, then in the same period in 2023 they were already sold for 2.6 billion. According to market expert Valentina Marchenkova, a special category on marketplaces consists of non-medicinal products : For example, during the pandemic, Russians developed a strong habit of buying vitamins. Today the top sales are omega, amino acids, collagen and weight loss products. Marchenkova notes that the fashion for amino acids is a new phenomenon; previously they were not among the top sales.

However, representatives of the pharmacy business never tire of reminding us of the dangers associated with purchasing health products through online services. Commercial director of the Samara pharmacy Emil Khubaliev says that goods are often collected manually on marketplaces, and the requirements for the sale of drugs are not met: “Products are often imported in bags and suitcases. And this is a direct threat to public health. I would generally prohibit some marketplaces from dealing in health products. Why are we, pharmacists, controlled, and a package of vitamins in a pharmacy is dispensed by a certified person, and there it is carried by a person on a bicycle? Not to mention the fact that in this way falsifications often come true.”

In addition, today the pharmacy industry is facing a serious shortage of personnel. As Alexander Monastyrev, a representative of the pharmacy business, said, today, when opening a new location, it takes at least two months to find personnel. Director of the SRO “Association of Independent Pharmacies”, head of the Alliance of Pharmaceutical Associations Victoria Presnyakova adds that this year there has been a shortage of pharmacists in the country’s medical universities. “People do not want to choose a profession in the pharmaceutical industry and do not want to see their children receiving such an education, because they themselves do not experience job satisfaction,” emphasized Elena Nevolina, executive director of the National Pharmaceutical Chamber union.

“We took the initiative to allow qualified personnel to be hired in pharmacies from among migrants who have not yet received Russian citizenship, but are waiting for it,” says Presnyakova. “But for some reason this proposal is perceived with hostility: as if we are offering guest workers. Today the whole world is fighting for the minds, I think it’s high time for us to adopt this trend.”

Another trend is the reduction of small pharmacy chains and independent pharmacies. Today there are about 75 thousand pharmacies operating in Russia, and 40% of them belong to federal chains. Over the past 5 years, the number of independent pharmacies has decreased by 25%, to 12 thousand, while federal chains have doubled over the same period. And while pharmaceutical retail in cities is rapidly developing, small settlements are left without affordable medical care. According to the analytical agency DSM Group, the highest density of pharmacies is observed in Krasnodar, where there are 87 pharmacies per 100 thousand population. The national average is 51 pharmacies per 100 thousand people. It got to the point that there was an initiative to legally limit the opening of pharmacies in the same location, for example, setting a minimum distance between them of 500 meters, as discussed by the head of the Association of New Independent Pharmacies, Victoria Lesnikova.

Experts believe that expanding the range of products allowed for sale in them can save pharmacies. As Victoria Presnyakova says, pharmacies are recording an outflow of sales of non-medicinal assortments to marketplaces, and expanding the pharmacy assortment is necessary not only and not so much to increase the profitability of pharmacies, but for the consumer: “In the summer of 2022, a proposal to expand the pharmacy assortment was submitted to the State Duma, but there was no understanding yet met. It was assumed that the list of goods permitted for sale in pharmacies would include more than 20 groups of goods intended to maintain a healthy lifestyle, prevention and hygiene. It was proposed to make appropriate changes to Art. 55 Federal Law “On the Circulation of Medicines”. However, the initiative was not supported. The project received negative feedback, which indicated that if such a bill is adopted, the list of goods sold in pharmacies will be as close as possible to the list of grocery stores. Probably the reason is that legislators do not associate pharmacies with the provision of medical care, but only with trade. This confusion leads to the fact that the patient, who could only get to the pharmacy, cannot buy batteries for the tonometer, water to wash down the pill, etc.”

Experts emphasize that historically, pharmacies have always been related to healthcare institutions, and not to trade. “Numerous surveys show that the population trusts pharmacists and pharmacists more than doctors. At the first symptoms of the disease, they go to the pharmacy for help. Therefore, it is important not only to expand the pharmacy assortment, but also to expand and legally approve the functionality of pharmacy employees. Pharmacists and pharmacists can relieve the burden on the healthcare system. They could measure blood pressure, administer vaccinations, promote healthy lifestyles, renew prescriptions, and in some cases make appointments. In many countries, this is not only a social function, but also a source of additional income,” notes Victoria Presnyakova.