RBC learned about the reduction in sales of “Phenazepam” in pharmacies dozens of times

The offer of the sedative drug “Phenazepam” in Russian pharmacies has dropped sharply. RBC checked the data of the Megapteka aggregator, which covers 25 thousand pharmacies in 78 subjects, and found that as of October 13, Phenazepam and its full analogues were not sold at any of these points.

According to Aptekamos.ru, in Moscow this drug is sold in the most popular dosage of 1 mg in only two pharmacies. According to the DSM Group service, the average retail price of Phenazepam in 2021 did not exceed 300 rubles, while in eight months of this year it increased to 532.2 rubles.

The main Russian manufacturer of the drug, Valenta Pharmaceuticals, last released Phenazepam into circulation in June this year, according to Roszdravnadzor data. The company estimated a 40-fold drop in retail sales. Valenta attributes this to the new circulation rules introduced in March 2021. The drug was included in the list of potent and toxic substances. After that, 1.2 thousand pharmacies received the right to sell them instead of 40 thousand.

The reduction in sales of “Phenazepam” was reported in early July RTVI. If in the first six months of 2022, 755 thousand packages of Phenazepam went on sale, then for the whole of 2021 – 1.4 million packages. However, Roszdravnadzor denied the shortage of the drug.

Anastasia Larina