According to the results of the study, Russia comes in 14th place in the world by pharmaceutical market size. In 2017, the pharmaceutical market grew by 7.9 percent in ruble terms. The growth was mainly driven by sales increasing in unit terms and a shift toward more expensive drugs. With pharmaceutical imports almost 15 times higher than exports, Russia became a net importer of medicines in 2017. Moreover, imports grew faster than exports in 2017.
As for market sentiment, the participants of the pharmaceutical market are mostly positive about its current state. The respondents of the survey carried out by Deloitte CIS named restricted admission to the public procurement system for imported drugs along with incentives for Russian pharma companies as main tools for reducing drug imports on the Russian market. It is expected that these measures will push down the share of imports by 5 percent in monetary terms.
Also, pharmaceutical companies voice their demand for a more efficient regulation in the spheres of medicine pricing, regulation of the online market for medicines and healthcare services, and public procurement.
According to the results of the survey, 60 percent of pharmaceutical companies expect an average growth of 10 percent in ruble terms in 2018. Almost half of the respondents (48 percent) expect to see operating costs grow by 7 percent on average while another 40 percent anticipate an average decrease of 10 percent.
Experts forecast that track-and-trace technology will have a positive impact on the pharmaceutical sector. Every fifth company (21 percent) has already purchased track-and-trace equipment.
Shortcomings of government regulation, insufficient purchasing power of households, and heightened importance of geopolitical risks are cited as main obstacles which pharmaceutical companies are likely to face in 2018.
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