Foreign drugs continue to disappear from Russian pharmaceutical retail

Foreign drugs continue to disappear from the Russian pharmaceutical retail, posing a threat of a shortage of medicines that could be recommended for the treatment of some serious diseases, according to recent studies prepared by some local market research agencies and pharmaceutical business analysts, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

Following Roche (ROG: SIX), which has recently suspended supplies of its Madopar (levodopa and benzerazide), which is used to treat Parkinson's disease), as well as Roaccutane (isotretinoin), a drug, intended for the treatment of severe forms of acne) to Russia, the local range has been recently reduced by one of its major global rivals – Sanofi(Euronext: SAN), as the company earlier this year stopped exports of its Lasix (furosemide) diuretic drug to the Russian market.

This has already caused serious concerns for the Russian government, particularly the local Ministry of Health, which fears that the shortage of this drug may pose a threat to Russia’s state security in the pharmaceutical field.