Russian Producers Take Lead in Growing Weight-Loss Drug Market

Domestic drugs replace Western brands

Russian pharmaceutical producers have taken control of a fast-growing market for medicines based on semaglutide and tirzepatide after leading Western brands withdrew from the country. Before 2023, the best-known products in this class in Russia included Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide medicines Ozempic and Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide product Mounjaro. Demand persisted after their departure, creating room for locally made alternatives.

Promomed has emerged as one of the principal suppliers with its Quinsenta, Velgia and Tirzetta products. Geropharm competes with Sejaro. The resulting market has two major domestic poles, while the broader selection has allowed more patients to obtain therapies used for type 2 diabetes and, in the case of certain products, obesity.

Semaglutide acts on GLP-1 receptors to regulate appetite, satiety and blood glucose. Tirzepatide is a dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist, giving it a broader role in controlling weight and carbohydrate metabolism. The continued medical and consumer demand for these mechanisms has turned the segment into a significant source of pharmaceutical revenue.

Sales surge without a major price decline

According to Forbes, Russian pharmacy sales of semaglutide reached 29.2 billion rubles in 2025. GxP News reported that combined semaglutide and tirzepatide sales were about 17 billion rubles in the first quarter of 2026. The figures point both to the replacement of departed brands and to an expanding patient base for Russian alternatives.

Promomed’s results illustrate the segment’s commercial weight. Revenue from its endocrinology business reached 4.8 billion rubles in the first half of 2025, up 118% year on year, and 8 billion rubles over nine months, an increase of 157%. Vladimir MK reported full-year 2025 revenue of 21.6 billion rubles for the business, up 163%, with the company linking the performance directly to semaglutide- and tirzepatide-based products.

More suppliers have not produced a substantial fall in patient costs. A four-dose pack of Tirzetta, covering four weekly injections, costs about 4,500 rubles at the 2.5 mg dose and as much as 17,000 rubles at 15 mg. Sejaro costs between 4,100 and 14,600 rubles per pack. Annual treatment is estimated at about 54,000 and 49,000 rubles respectively at starting doses, rising to as much as 204,000 and 175,000 rubles at higher doses. RTVI has characterized the vacated market niche as being treated primarily as a commercial opportunity.

Quality and promotion face scrutiny

The expansion is increasing scrutiny of manufacturing and injection-device quality. Tirzetta uses contract production split among several sites, making oversight from the active substance through packaging particularly important. Reports of faulty dose mechanisms and bent or broken pen needles have not established a systemic defect, but they create a need for responses from manufacturers, pharmacies and Roszdravnadzor. Patients suspecting a defect are advised to retain the package, batch number and device and report the case through pharmacovigilance channels.

Marketing is another regulatory issue. Promomed’s products have appeared in public content involving entertainment figures, including a promotional video featuring Sergey Shnurov. Article 24 of Russia’s advertising law prohibits advertising prescription medicines to the general public, leaving the Federal Antimonopoly Service to determine whether specific materials constitute information or advertising. For domestic manufacturers, further growth will therefore depend not only on demand but also on transparent production, reliable devices, compliant communication and whether competition eventually reduces the cost of therapy.