Import substitution line
It should be noted that today drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction are produced both in Russia and abroad: including in Belarus, India, the USA, Slovenia, Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Israel and even Iceland. In Russia, some enterprises produce a drug with the name coinciding with the active substance, Sildenafil, and in addition to the aforementioned Jenta, such brands as Sildenalav, Sildemax, Sealex are represented. Among foreign brands, such names as Cialis, Levitra and others are known.
According to experts, import substitution in the field of erectile dysfunction treatment is well established at the moment. “Many studies have been conducted on the bioequivalence of domestic sildenafil preparations to foreign originals,” says Dmitry Zhuravsky. – In terms of pharmacological qualities and effectiveness, they are practically not inferior to imported ones. Patients respond positively to these drugs.”
For imported drugs, the situation is ambiguous. Although the sanctions did not officially affect the supply of medicines, there have been changes in the sale of drugs, especially those that do not belong to the group of vital ones. Firstly, logistics routes have become more complicated, and secondly, the policy of a number of companies has changed. For example, the American company Eli Lilly stopped deliveries to Russia of a drug to combat erectile dysfunction.
According to the retail audit of DSM, as of July 2022, there were 19 imported brands on the market – drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Everyone demonstrates a decrease in sales in packages, including the three leaders among imported drugs. So, for 7 months, sales of Viagra (the leader of the Sildenafil molecule, manufacturer Pfizer Inc) decreased by 16%; Cialis (the leader of the Tadalafil molecule, manufacturer Eli Lilly & CO) – by 3%, and Levitra (the leader of the molecule vardenafil, manufacturer Bayer AG) – by 94%. It is noted that the decrease in sales does not directly indicate a decrease in imports, since the fall can also be caused by other factors: a drop in purchasing power, purchases for future use in March 2022, etc.
In general, experts do not see a particular shortage of popular PDE-5 inhibitor drugs. “The pharmacies offer both foreign originals of the drug and domestic analogues-generics,” says Dmitry Zhuravsky.
As Mikhail Faniev noted, the fact that they should not disappear from the shelves can also be attributed to the advantages of Russian drugs. “In my opinion, Russian drugs are able to fully meet the demand from patients,” says Dmitry Zhuravsky. – Another thing is that they are made using imported raw materials. In addition, manufacturers use foreign equipment. So this question, regarding the prospect of their use, is not entirely in the medical plane. Much will depend on the general economic and political situation in the country and the world.”