Generic drugs reach 87.2% of Russian pharmacy sales by volume

Generics consolidate their lead in pharmacy sales

Generic medicines accounted for 87.2% of Russian pharmacy retail sales by volume in the first quarter of 2026, RBC reported. The figure extends a shift already visible in 2025, when generics represented 72.3% of retail pharmaceutical sales in ruble terms and 86.3% in packages, according to DSM Group.

When state procurement is included, generics held 63.2% of the market by value and 87.6% by volume in 2025. Locally manufactured medicines, a narrower category than generics because it also reflects production location, represented 46.8% of the market in monetary terms and 69.3% in physical terms.

DSM Group CEO Sergey Shulyak linked the expansion to import substitution following the withdrawal of several foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers. Russian alternatives have developed most actively in medicines for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and obesity. These categories address large patient populations: the Health Ministry recorded diabetes in 6.1 million Russians and obesity in 36 million people in 2025. Cases involving hypertensive heart disease rose 7% to 8.3 million, while oncology-related visits increased 6.5% to 1.3 million.

Cardiology and semaglutide drive localization

The range of cardiology medicines expanded by 386 products over the past five years, with more than 85% manufactured in Russia. Another four medicines were registered in the first quarter of 2026. Viktor Dmitriev, head of the Association of Russian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, said domestic alternatives to rivaroxaban, used to prevent blood clots, reduced treatment costs by 40%. He assessed their efficacy and tolerability as comparable with the original medicine.

Semaglutide, used to treat type 2 diabetes, has become another prominent case. After Denmark’s Novo Nordisk stopped supplies in 2023, Russian companies began producing alternatives under compulsory licensing. By 2026, the range had increased from nine to 13 brand names, while the number of stock-keeping units, including different dosages, rose from 29 to 39. The original imported product’s share fell to 0.1%.

Domestic suppliers include Geropharm, Promomed Rus, Pharmasyntez, PSK Pharma, Pharmstandard and Sever Life Sciences. Semavik accounted for 53.3% of the segment by value and Quinsenta for 43.1%. In January-August 2026, ruble sales of Insudive increased 271.3% year on year, while Semuglina sales rose 210.7%.

Volumes rise as average prices decline

Total semaglutide sales reached 24 billion rubles in the first eight months of 2026, up 60%. Sales by volume increased 77% to 4.7 million packages, while the average package price declined 8%, from 5,369 to 4,951 rubles. Prices for a 0.25 mg dose ranged from 2,447 to 3,174 rubles. Products in the 1 mg dosage ranged from 4,154 to 5,033 rubles or more.

RNC Pharma calculated that sales of A10B antidiabetic medicines by value increased 134-fold in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. Production of hypoglycemic medicines rose by more than 41% in packages during the first half of the year.

Supply reliability becomes the next test

Industry representatives say the next stage will depend on faster registration, manufacturing support, price controls, verified bioequivalence, reliable supplies and the availability of required dosages. These factors will determine whether wider product ranges translate into consistent treatment for patients rather than temporary replacement of withdrawn brands.

DSM Group forecasts that generics will reach 67% of pharmaceutical sales by value by 2030, while the Russian market will grow from 2.9 trillion to 4.1 trillion rubles. The Industry and Trade Ministry says 86% of medicines on Russia’s essential drugs list have already been localized, with two-thirds produced through a full domestic manufacturing cycle.