There is no shortage of imported drugs in Russia, but there are difficulties in logistics. This was announced on Wednesday, June 15, by the head of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA), Veronika Skvortsova, as part of the Drug Safety forum at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
“We have difficulties in logistics, in connection with this, slower deliveries, longer ones and some increase in prices,” she said.
Russia must be self-sufficient in the provision of medicines, Skvortsova added.
Earlier on Wednesday, the head of the Ministry of Health, Mikhail Murashko, called the situation on the drug market in Russia stable. According to him, the system for collecting data on the availability of drugs is available in every region. Not only the introduction into civil circulation is monitored, all ongoing purchases are monitored.
On June 9, in an interview with Izvestia, the head of Roszdravnadzor, Alla Samoilova, said that there is no shortage of medicines in the country, neither in pharmacies nor in hospitals. Not a single foreign manufacturer has refused to trade with Russia, and supply disruptions are associated solely with difficulties in logistics, she noted.
In mid-March, the situation that developed in connection with the sanctions of Western countries against Russia was reflected in the Russian pharmaceutical market. Some large pharmaceutical distributors have suspended deliveries to pharmacies for price adjustments. In addition, the ways of delivering drugs to Russia have changed. This caused a boom in demand for drugs, which soon declined.
Western countries began to impose new sanctions in response to Russia’s conduct of a special operation to protect the Donbass, the beginning of which was announced on February 24. The European Union, in particular, has already introduced the sixth package of restrictions.
Moscow explained that the tasks of the special operation include the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, the implementation of which is necessary to ensure the security of Russia. The decision was made against the backdrop of aggravation in the region as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian military.