pharmaceutical company MSD began selling fewer drugs in the Russian Federation

The American pharmaceutical company MSD, one of the largest in the world, has reduced its portfolio of drugs sold in Russia by a quarter since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. About it writes Kommersant newspaper.

According to the publication, MSD had the most noticeable reduction among the representative offices of international pharmaceutical manufacturers in Russia. According to RNC Pharma development director Nikolai Bespalov, in 2022 MSD supplied 38 drugs to Russia, and in 2023 – 29. He named the antihypertensive drug Renitek, antidiabetic drugs Januvia and Janumet, as well as the vaccine as notable losses from measles, rubella and mumps.

A report from MSD’s subsidiary in Russia, MSD Pharmaceuticals, states that the company also stopped production of finished products at the site of the Russian pharmaceutical company Akrikhin – in particular, Januvia and Janumet were produced there.

Last August, it became known that MSD would stop supplying the hepatitis C drug Zepatier to Russia. However, the company said that this decision will not affect deliveries planned in 2024.

• Since the start of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, several large foreign pharmaceutical companies have limited their operations in Russia. Thus, Gilead suspended all operations not related to life-saving drugs. Pfizer, Bayer, Novartis, MSD, Sanofi and AbbVie continue to supply drugs but have suspended investments or clinical trials. The American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has decided to completely withdraw from the Russian market, transferring its business in Russia to its partner in Central and Eastern Europe, Swixx Biopharma.