Russia to face shortages of some important antibiotics next year

Russia may be faced with a shortage of some important antibiotics next year due to the recent decision of some global drugmakers to withdraw them from the market, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports.

For example, the Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma (TYO: 4503) has recently decided to stop production of its antibiotic Wilprafen (josamycin) in Russia and withdraw it from the local market. So far, the Russian Ministry of Health has proposed to replace it with azithromycin, although there is a possibility that patients may be resistant to the latter due to its use during the covid-19 pandemic.

With regard to Astellas, most Russian analysts were surprised with the company’s latest decision to withdraw Wilprafen from the local market due to its status as one of the best-selling drugs in its category.