Russian Health Regulator Says Medicine Shortage Due To Increase In Demand

Russian healthcare regulator Roszdravnadzor on Friday said medicine shortages were due to “artificially” higher demand and that suppliers were not currently able to replenish stocks on time.

Many Russians have rushed to stock up on anti-depressants, sleeping pills, and contraceptives among other products since the conflict in Ukraine began new data has shown. With people buying a month’s worth of medicine in just two weeks.

Russia continues to experience a shortage of at least 42 drugs, which are used for the treatment of some serious diseases and COVID-19 flu, according to recent statements, by analysts of the All-Russian Union of Patients (VSP) and some local media.

Polina Pchelnikova, a member of the presidium of the Russian Rheumatology Association, said in an interview with the Russian Izvestia business paper, the situation is complicated by the fact that the number of relatively inexpensive drugs have ceased to be produced in Russia or their delivery to the country was suspended due to low profitability and the introduction of labeling.

So far, representatives of VSP have already sent a petition to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the national government about the ever-growing shortage of drugs, which are designed for the treatment of cancer, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatic diseases, primary immunodeficiency and other diseases.

At present, the most complex situation is observed in the case of methylprednisolone and natalizumab, which are both used for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis. In addition, there is the increasing shortage of drugs used for the treatment of children with oncological diseases.

In the meantime, local producers are unable to meet the local demand, while a significant part of generics of some Western original drugs, which are available in the local market are usually untested, low-quality products, which efficiency is unknown.