Chronically Ailing: The Ongoing Struggle for Essential Medicines in Russian Pharmacies and Hospitals

The shortage of essential medicines in Russian pharmacies and hospitals has been a chronic issue since the fall of the Soviet Union, and it has only worsened in the past five years. This is largely due to a significant drop in medicine imports from the West to Russia, which resulted in a 30 percent decline.

Reports indicate that around 400 drug types are currently missing from pharmacy shelves, with 74 of them classified as “necessary for life.” This scarcity has led to specific medicines becoming unavailable, like the rheumatism medicine containing methylprednisolone from Finn Orion Pharman.

The impact of the war in Ukraine on Russian medical supply is also a concern. While pharmaceutical exports to Russia are not directly sanctioned by the West, many Western pharmaceutical companies have ceased exporting to the country. As a result, consumers have had to rely heavily on domestic manufacturing, which has not been able to compensate for the shortfall.

The situation was further highlighted by a magazine’s investigation into Moscow pharmacies, which found a lack of diabetes and blood pressure medicines, as well as domestic and foreign antidepressants. Despite this decline in foreign medicine imports, which dropped by approximately 30 percent since 2019, Russia’s healthcare system faces challenges in acquiring expensive Western hospital technology.

The weakening ruble and expectations of further devaluation add to the uncertainty of resolving medical supply issues. Additionally, the lack of financial and intellectual resources in the Russian pharmaceutical industry raises concerns about developing new drugs to meet demands.