Ministry of Industry and Trade: there are no risks of a shortage of drugs against the background of Orion Pharma leaving

The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation announced that there are no risks of a shortage of medicines against the backdrop of the withdrawal of the Finnish pharmaceutical company Orion from the Russian market. This was reported in the press service of the department, writes TASS.

“The risks of the absence of these drugs on the Russian market are not predicted due to the presence of alternative suppliers or local manufacturers, the presence of therapeutic analogues,” the ministry said.

The company, according to the statement of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, reported on the planned completion of work in Russia as a matter of routine.

According to a report by Orion Pharma (OP) dated July 17, the decline in revenue from sales of certain drugs is due to the “cessation of commercial activities in Russia.” In addition, the manufacturer recorded a drop in operating profit in the first half of 2023 – compared to the same period last year, the company lost 25 million euros in profit.

OP has worked in Russia for about 15 years. The main drug of the company is metipred, which is intended for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Nikolai Bespalov, development director of the analytical company RNC Pharma, told Vedomosti that this medicine accounts for 82% of all Russian sales of drugs with the international non-proprietary name “methylprednisolone” in packages and about 84% in monetary terms.

Bespalov at the same time stated that Russia is one of the largest markets for the Finnish company and it is unlikely to have the same prospects in the European market. It was noted that in the first half of last year, the Eastern European market and Russia accounted for 17% of all OP sales (44 million euros).