Global insulin producers losing positions in Russian market

Global insulin producers are losing their positions in the Russian market, due to the active launch of generics by domestic suppliers, according to recent statements by Russian pharmaceutical analysts and local media, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

For example, according to the Russian Kommersant business paper, citing experts of the Russian analyst agency Headway Company, state contracts signed by the largest Russian supplier of insulin Geropharm more than doubled in 2020 to 1.8 billion roubles ($24.4 million). The bulk of them (1.7 billion roubles) accounted for sales of generics of Lantus (insulin glargine) originated by Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) and Humalog (insulin lispro injection 100 units/mL) from Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY).

In the meantime, France’s Sanofi and the USA’s Lilly have reduced their supplies by 4%, to 9.1 billion roubles and by 2.2 times to 586 million roubles, respectively. The only foreign supplier of insulin that was able to increase shipments was Danish Novo Nordisk, whose sales increased by 3% to 8.8 billion roubles.