Now that Viagra supplies have been halted in Russia, authorities are looking to generics as a backup
However, Western pharmaceutical companies have warned that supplies of their products to Russia could still be disrupted due to sanctions that have disconnected Russian banks from the international financial system and prompted major shipping companies to suspend operations in Russia.
The American pharmaceutical company Viatris, producer of Viagra, had informed the Russian government last year that it would stop selling the drug in tablet form.
On Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade told the Interfax Newswire that while the drug used in Viagra, sildenafil, is not currently produced in Russia, Russian companies have the “technological capability” to produce it, and that 36 companies have registration certificates. have got. to do this.
In November, a Russian pharma analytics firm, DSM Group, reported that Viagra’s market share in Russia was down 22 percent year-over-year in volume and 5 percent in value due to disruptions in the supply and competition of generic drugs. .
Immediately after the invasion, US-based Pfizer announced it would halt planned investments and all clinical trials in Russia, although it would continue to supply drugs to registered patients. Viatris, the manufacturer of Viagra, is a spin-off of Pfizer.
While many companies have voluntarily reduced or ended their business dealings in Russia, Ukraine has demanded pharmaceutical companies cease operations, accusing them of siding with the aggressor.
In May, Kiev passed a law that would allow the government to withdraw from the Ukrainian market medicines produced by companies linked to Russia.
Russian news outlets reported on Wednesday that dentists are also facing a shortage of certain imported drugs and equipment, including vitremercement, used in dental fillings, and ubistesin, an articaine-based local anesthetic.
The manufacturer, the American 3M, announced last year to leave the Russian market. There is no local alternative to Vitremer in Russia. There is a locally produced anesthetic, Artikain-Binergia, but it is not available in sufficient quantities.