Antibiotics at the top, contraceptives are down: how the Russian pharmaceutical market changed since the beginning of the year

Growth in government procurement of medicines exceeded growth in the pharmacy market

In Russia, according to the results of the first quarter of 2025, there is a positive trend in the sphere of government procurement of medicines. During this period, their volume increased by 15% compared to the previous year, amounting to 261 billion rubles. This improvement contrasts with the decline in all government procurement in 2024, when they decreased by 5.9%.

At the same time, the pharmacy market is also showing growth, albeit at a slower pace. Its capacity in the first quarter of 2025 amounted to 553 billion rubles, which is 8.4% more than in 2024. In 2023, the volume of the pharmacy market was 419 billion rubles.

According to DSM Group, in March 2025, the largest increase in sales in packages on the Russian pharmaceutical market was recorded in the antibiotics segment. Among the 15 best-selling drugs, only three positions showed positive dynamics in packaging: omeprazole (1.6%), nurofen (5.6%) and rinoform (23.4%).

If we consider only the market of drugs, then in 2023 its volume amounted to 334 billion rubles, and in 2025 at the moment it amounts to 439 billion rubles, which corresponds to an increase of 6.5% compared to 2024.

Dividing the data by different categories of purchases, it can be noted that hospital purchases (HP) in 2025 increased by 16%, reaching 124 billion rubles. Preferential drug provision (PDP) and regional drug provision (RDP) also showed growth: PDP amounted to 59 billion rubles (+4.9%), and RDP — 78 billion rubles (+23%).

In April 2025, the pharmacy market showed mixed dynamics. Sales of medicines increased by 1% both in packages and in rubles. At the same time, sales of dietary supplements (DS) decreased by 0.7% in packages, although in rubles they grew by 0.1%. Cosmetics sales also showed a positive trend — an increase of 0.9% in packages and 1.7% in rubles.

In Russia, spending on medicines has increased significantly

In the first quarter of 2025, Russians spent record amounts on medicines. The total volume of the retail pharmaceutical market reached 467.9 billion rubles, which is 16.6% more than in the same period last year. According to RNC Pharma, 1.29 billion packages of medicines were sold in Russian pharmacies, which is 2.3% higher than in the first quarter of 2024.

In March 2025, Russians purchased about 457 million packages of medicines worth 169 billion rubles. This means that natural consumption increased by 8%, and the total population spending on medicines grew by 22%. This increase in spending was the highest in the last 27 months.

• Russians spent the most on antirheumatic non-steroidal drugs. In the first quarter, their sales amounted to more than 22.7 billion rubles, which is 18% more than a year earlier. The leader in this category was Nurofen, which showed a sales increase of 27% in monetary terms and 19% in packages.
• Antiviral drugs (excluding HIV treatment drugs) were in second place in terms of sales. Their sales grew by 21% in monetary terms and 11% in packages.
• Drugs for the treatment of nasal diseases round out the top three. Although their growth was less noticeable (+6% in rubles and +1% in packages).

As for the price segment, in the first quarter of 2025, the Russian retail pharmaceutical market has seen a trend towards a decrease in the share of cheap drugs and an increase in the share of expensive drugs, while the most popular price segment remains from 100 to 500 rubles.

According to data provided by RNC Pharma, in value terms, the share of drugs cheaper than 100 rubles decreased from 7.3% in January-March 2023 to 4.3% in January-March 2025, and the share of drugs more expensive than 1,000 rubles increased from 25.7% to 31.6%. The largest share is occupied by the price segment from 100 to 500 rubles (32.3% in January — March 2025), followed by drugs costing from 500 to 1000 rubles (31.8%).

Russians began to buy fewer contraceptives: sales fell by 12%

In 2025, a sharp decline in sales of contraceptives was observed in Russia. Pharmacies sold 10.1 million packages of contraceptives, which is 12% less than in the same period of 2024. Experts attribute this decline to rising prices for goods and the transition of buyers to the online segment, and also note a decrease in Russians' interest in sex due to high stress levels.

According to a study by DSM Group, sales of hormonal oral contraceptives amounted to 4.8 million packages, which is 9% less than last year. Condom sales also fell by 12%, to 4.2 million units. In monetary terms, sales of birth control pills amounted to 7.8 billion rubles, and condoms — 1.7 billion rubles, which is in line with last year's level.

According to a report by RNC Pharma, sales of emergency contraception decreased by 7%, to 531 thousand packages. Interestingly, sales of mifepristone drugs (which require a prescription) fell by half, to 1,400 packages. At the same time, levonorgestrel drugs (without a prescription) showed a 34% increase, reaching 529,400 units.

The average bill for birth control pills increased by 9% and amounted to 1,880 rubles, while the price of condoms increased by 16%, reaching 540 rubles. In general, more than 39 million packages of contraceptives were sold in Russia for the whole of 2024, which is 4% more than in 2023.

Tatarstan leads in drug sales growth, despite stagnation in packages

Tatarstan showed the highest growth rate of drug sales in value terms among all regions of Russia in the first quarter of 2025, increasing the market volume by 19%, to 10.2 billion rubles.

Despite the growth in monetary terms, sales of medicines in kind (in packages) in the republic showed a slight decrease of 0.5%, reaching 28 million packages. The increase in the market volume is mainly due to the growth in prices for medicines. Let us recall that in the period from April 13 to May 13, 2025, the volume of state purchases of medicines in Tatarstan amounted to 779.6 million rubles, which could affect the overall dynamics of the market in the region.

Other regions show the following results:

• Moscow — 55.9 billion rubles (16% growth);
• Moscow Region — 36.7 billion rubles (15% growth);
• Saint Petersburg — 24 billion rubles (14% growth);
• Krasnodar Region — 21.4 billion rubles (15% growth);
• Rostov Region — 14 billion rubles (13% growth);
• Sverdlovsk Region — 13.5 billion rubles (14% growth);
• Nizhny Novgorod Region — 10.3 billion rubles (15% growth);
• Bashkortostan — 10.2 billion rubles (14% growth);
• Samara Region — 10 billion rubles (15% growth).

The volume of sales of pharmaceuticals in the Volga Federal District (VFD) in 2025 amounted to 79 billion rubles, which is 14% more than last year. However, in real terms, the sales volume decreased by 1.4%, reaching 231.3 billion rubles.

For comparison, the Central Federal District (CFD) leads in sales volumes, reaching 153.9 billion rubles, which is 17% more than in 2024. The South of Russia also shows good results: the Southern Federal District (SFD) sold medicines worth 53.8 billion rubles, with a growth rate of 14%.

In physical terms, the Central Federal District also remains in first place with sales volumes of 386.1 billion rubles and an increase of 1.9%. In contrast, sales in the Volga Federal District and the Siberian Federal District (SFD) showed negative dynamics: in the SFD, the volume amounted to 138.8 billion rubles, with a decrease of 1.8%.