Russia Still Hooked On Western Firms For Vital Medicines

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Russia's push to curtail its reliance on Western drugmakers is foundering, with sanctions-exempt foreign medicines still sucking billions from the strained state budget almost five years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Select your language

Generated with artificial intelligence. Listening: Russia still hooked on Western firms for vital medicines This content was published on November 5, 2026 - 11:56 6 minutes Bloomberg

About 56% of the almost 700 billion rubles ($8.6 billion) spent on drugs in the first eight months of 2026 went on imports, particularly of the more sophisticated medicines domestic manufacturers are unable to replicate, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data from research group DSM. That compares with a 57% share in 2022, when the invasion began.

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