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development of drugs and is heavily reliant on imports.
Zepatier accounts for nearly 20% of all state purchases of hepatitis C drugs in Russia, with an annual expenditure exceeding RUB1bn. Currently, there are no domestic alternatives to this drug available in the country. While other treatment options are available, Zepatier is noted for being one of the more affordable regimens.
MSD's shift away from the Russian market began in 2022 when the company halted the supply of vaccines against chicken pox, measles, rubella, and mumps, as well as the HIV drug raltegravir. However, drugs without local analogues have been were excluded on humanitarian grounds.
Several prominent foreign pharmaceutical firms have scaled back their operations in Russia due to the war in Ukraine. For instance, Gilead suspended non-life-saving activities, while Pfizer, Bayer, Novartis, MSD, Sanofi, and AbbVie continue supplying drugs while halting investments or clinical studies. In a more drastic step, American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly decided to exit the Russian market entirely, transferring its local business to its partner Swixx Biopharma in Central and Eastern Europe.
RUSSIA Country Report September 2023 www.intellinews.com