Pharmacies lose medicines – Business – Kommersant

The reduction in the representation of imported drugs, the refusal to produce unprofitable drugs and the decrease in demand had a negative impact on the pharmacy assortment. According to DSM Group estimates, in 2022, the supply in core retail decreased by almost 10%, or about 2,000 items. Pharmacies do not expect a shortage of drugs, noting the presence of local analogues of imported drugs.

At the end of 2022, the number of drugs sold in pharmacies decreased by 1.9 thousand positions, to 21.6 thousand units, the DSM Group report says. Among the drugs that fell out of the assortment are the antitumor Kadsila (153 thousand rubles per pack), Oktagam, for the treatment of immunodeficiency conditions (17.5 thousand rubles), Actinolysate, for the treatment of skin diseases (4.5 thousand rubles), and others. Also, some drugs from the list of vital and essential drugs (VED) have disappeared from sale in pharmacies, adds Sergey Shulyak, CEO of DSM Group.

Some positions have not completely disappeared from sale, but their availability on the market has decreased several times, follows from the DSM Group report. So, according to analysts, as of December 2022, Hexoral aerosol was available in only 2% of pharmacies. ACC Long sputum thinning drug in a pack of 10 tablets – in 2.5% of pharmacies, and No-shpa pain medication in a pack of 100 tablets – in 0.9% of outlets.

According to Sergei Shulyak, the reduction in the range of drugs from the list of vital and essential drugs is associated with an increase in their cost, which makes production unprofitable. Demand has fallen for some drugs, especially expensive ones, he adds. In addition, the expert continues, the pharmacy assortment was affected by interruptions in the production of pharmaceutical substances, there were cases of removal of certain packages from the sale, problems with logistics, and so on. So, in November 2022, there was a local shortage in Moscow pharmacies broad spectrum antibioticsincluding “Amoxiclav”, which was associated, among other things, with a reduction in the import of drugs and a shortage of substances in the world.

RNC Pharma Development Director Nikolai Bespalov explains the situation by the changed working conditions in the Russian market and the subsequent optimization of the product portfolios of manufacturers, primarily foreign companies.

According to him, foreign players basically refuse the least demanded dosage forms, although there are examples of a complete cessation of supplies, most often due to strong competition with Russian manufacturers.

Pharmacy chains 36.6, Rigla and Zdravcity declined to comment. The Association of Independent Pharmacies confirms that some drugs, mainly expensive imported ones, are leaving the retail assortment. According to the representative of the association, there are cheaper local analogues and “total shortage” in the market is not expected. According to Nikolai Bespalov, if regulators use a set of measures to combat defects, the assortment in pharmacies this year is likely to be relatively stable.

According to the DSM Group, drug sales in pharmacies grew by 15% in 2022, to RUB 1.67 trillion. year by year. According to analysts, the turnover increased due to the rush demand for medicines in March, after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine and a new wave of sanctions, an increase in the incidence of COVID-19 in August, and a surge in SARS at the end of the year.

Olga August