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The economic sanctions imposed on Our Country because of its invasion of Ukraine have caused problems with the supply of certain products and caused people’s fear of the possible lack of those they need to survive. These include medications, especially those that are taken continuously for chronic illnesses or special needs.
- Many companies withdrew from the market, and the largest pharmaceutical companies have announced that they will suspend research, investments and marketing activities
- This caused fear among the s that they might soon also run out of drugs, which is why they began to buy them en masse. They turned out to be particularly sought after, among others antidepressants, hormones or contraceptives
- In two weeks at the turn of February and March, the s bought as many drugs as were sold in the entire month of January — this is the result of the research conducted by the analytical company DSM Group
- More important information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
From the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the s went to pharmacies to stock up on, inter alia, in antidepressants, sleeping pills and contraceptives. While in the first days the reason was mainly the fear that the drugs might become drastically more expensive, then there was a fear that they might not be available at all. Many companies, including some of those responsible for supplying pharmacies, have announced the suspension of operations or a complete withdrawal from the market.
- The war in Ukraine through the eyes of a doctor. “The sick ask for any help”
Over 270 million drugs were sold in two weeks
It did not take long to see the effect, as evidenced by sales data collected by the analytical company DSM Group for the daily “Vedomosti”, reported by Reuters. According to them, in the period from February 28 to March 13, 2022, the s bought 270,5 million units of drugs in pharmacies for a total amount of 98,6 billion rubles ($ 1,04 billion). This is almost comparable with the sales data for the entire January, when the s bought 288 million units of drugs for 100 billion rubles in pharmacies.
First of all, the demand for antidepressants, hypnotics, insulin, anticancer and cardiac drugs, hormones and contraceptives has increased.
«I take L-thyroxine myself because I have thyroid problems, so I take it every day and I’m worried about it» — Valentin, a resident of Moscow, told the Reuters Agency. «That’s why I bought a supply a few months earlier, because I’m worried if I will find it in pharmacies later. People are asking for him everywhere » — she added.
- Pfizer and Bayer keep deliveries of drugs to Our Country. They explain that it is their “ethical duty”
“They stood in lines at pharmacies and bought everything”
“It was fear” — commented on the results of the research by Sergei Szuljak, CEO of DSM Group, the company that collected the data, quoted by the Reuters Agency. «The first fear was that things might get more expensive, and the second was that the drugs they needed wouldn’t be available in a while. These fears touched people. They stood in lines at pharmacies and bought everything ».
What is currently happening in Our Country, Szuljak called “hysteria”. He admitted that there is currently a temporary shortage of some drugs, but expects the situation to stabilize soon as manufacturers will still be able to produce drugs, and many foreign manufacturers are still supplying Our Country, even if their products are now sold at higher prices.
But he warned that deteriorating ties with the West meant some drug makers may struggle to source the ingredients they need to make their products.
Also read:
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- The British buy pension ambulances. They travel through Poland to Ukraine