Russia facing shortage of drugs against epilepsy

17 February 2022

Russia may be faced with a shortage of Convulex (valproic acid) - one of the most popular drugs for the treatment of epilepsy – as its manufacturer, the Canadian firm Bausch Health, has stopped exports of the drug to the Russian market, reports The Pharma Letter's local correspondent.

According to some Russian media reports, the supplies have become unprofitable for the company after the Russian regulator reduced the maximum price of the drug by 23% to 899.52 roubles ($12). The drug is in the list of vital and essential in Russia, with its maximum price is agreed by the Ministry of Health and the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS).

In fact, the Russian pharmaceutical market has been experiencing a shortage of Convulex since late 2021. That has already resulted in the failure of several tenders for its public procurements and there is a high possibility that the current situation will continue to deteriorate.

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