BAA (dietary supplements)

Biologics

Main article: Biologics

Pharmaceutical market of Russia

Main article: Pharmaceutical market of Russia

Digital marking of dietary supplements

Main article: Digital labeling of dietary supplements

Chronicle

2024

In the Kaluga region for ₽4 billion launched a plant for the production of packaging for dietary supplements and cosmetics

On October 15, 2024, an enterprise specializing in the production of polymer packaging for cosmetics, household chemicals, food and dietary supplements (dietary supplements) was opened in the city of Zhukov, Kaluga Region. The total investment in the project exceeded ₽4 billion. Read more here

Roskachestvo found drugs in 400 dietary supplements, which are sold everywhere

Roskachestvo completed the first part of large-scale monitoring of the market for dietary supplements (dietary supplements) sold through popular marketplaces such as Wildberries, Ozon and Yandex.Market. This became known in August 2024. During the audit, experts identified more than 400 dietary supplements, which contained prohibited substances, including narcotic and psychotropic components.

According to RBC, Roskachestvo has discovered dangerous substances in products that are widely sold as health supplements. The list of detected prohibited components included substances such as ephedra, included in the list of potent and psychotropic plants. This substance is prohibited for use in food products and can only be sold as part of prescription drugs. Products with ephedra were found in the categories of dietary supplements and sports nutrition.

𝓲

Unsplash

Among other prohibited substances discovered is kava kava (intoxicating pepper), for the implementation of which criminal liability is provided under Article 234 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to Roskachestvo, the product with this component was found on the Ozon marketplace. Coca leaves, which belong to narcotic drugs, were also identified, and criminal liability is provided for their sale. Products containing coca were presented at Ozon and Wildberries.

In addition, Roskachestvo recorded the presence of ashvaganda (sleeping pills) in a number of dietary supplements. This plant has a devastating effect on the kidneys, which makes its use as part of dietary supplements extremely dangerous. Other prohibited components were also present, for example, creeping anchors used in the composition of drugs to regulate potency, but prohibited in the composition of dietary supplements.

During the monitoring, other serious violations were identified. In particular, more than 60 thousand goods were sold on marketplaces without a certificate of state registration, which violates Russian legislation on the sale of dietary supplements.^[1]

Russia adopted a law on blocking sites selling prohibited dietary supplements without trial

State Duma Russia adopted a law providing for pre-trial blocking of Internet resources that trade in prohibited ones. biologically active additives (dietary supplements) This became known on July 9, 2024. The new regulatory act is aimed at strengthening control over the circulation of dietary supplements and protecting the health of citizens.

According to Izvestia, the bill prohibits the dissemination of information about retail sales, including by remote means, dietary supplements without labeling, as well as those dietary supplements that are falsified and counterfeit products. Resources that violate these requirements will be included in the register of prohibited sites, which will entail their blocking.

𝓲

Unsplash

According to the adopted law, the powers to appoint dietary supplements to certain categories of citizens will be provided to medical workers. The appointment will be carried out in accordance with the recommendations established by the Ministry of Health of Russia.

State Duma Deputy Yevgeny Nifantyev noted that the new mechanism will significantly speed up the process of blocking illegal sites. If earlier Rospotrebnadzor needed up to three months to block such pages, now this process will take only a few days.

The adoption of this law is part of comprehensive measures to regulate the dietary supplement market in Russia. From September 1, 2023, the country has a system of mandatory labeling of biologically active additives. From November 1, 2023, codes are applied to all manufactured and imported dietary supplements, and from March 1, 2024, all market participants are required to transfer data on the withdrawal of additives from circulation.

According to the Center for the Development of Promising Technologies, the operator of the state marking system "Honest Sign," as of mid-May 2024, about 25 thousand participants in the turnover of dietary supplements were registered in the labeling system, including 2.7 thousand manufacturers and importers.^[2]

76 people died after taking dietary supplements of the Japanese Kobayashi

health care Japan On June 28, 2024, the Ministry announced an investigation into the deaths of 76 people who used dietary supplements produced by the pharmaceutical company Kobayashi Pharmaceutical. We are talking about products with red fermented rice in a composition that helps reduce cholesterol levels. More. here

Contraceptives under the guise of dietary supplements were found on sale on marketplaces in Russia

In early March 2024, it became known about the sale in Russia of a contraceptive under the guise of the drug "Chinese traditional medicine." This was reported by Kommersant.

The sale of an unregistered contraceptive drug was discovered by WHO expert Liubov Erofeyeva in the section "Products for intimate hygiene." The cost of the drug was 1,480 rubles. It contains a high amount of the synthetic female sex hormone levonorgestrel. Sellers advised to take "dietary supplements" once a month for three to five years. In the description of the product, it was stated that it has the function of suppressing ovulation and therefore can be used as a contraceptive. Gynecologists interviewed by Kommersant warned that such consumption of this hormone is "very dangerous to health."

𝓲

Unsplash

After the discovery of this Roszdravnadzor drug, he demanded to remove it from marketplaces Ozon and, Wildberries however, the product is still present on small regional sites.

Experts interviewed by Kommersant believe that it is not profitable for Internet sites to sell potentially dangerous goods, but sellers manage to deceive the algorithms of marketplaces and remain available for sale.

One tablet contains 6 mg of levonorgestrel and 3 mg of quinestrol. Obstetrician-gynecologist, WHO expert Liubov Erofeyeva noted that the contraceptive Escapel and Postinor registered in Russia contain only 1.5 mg of levonorgestrel, and they are used in emergency situations, and not on an ongoing basis.

For 35 years of their use in Russia, not a single serious complication was registered. This made it possible in 2024 to make Escapel and Postinor over the counter, as in most European countries and the United States. And in this Chinese drug, the dosage is four times higher. This is very dangerous for health with uncontrolled use, - the expert explained[3]

2023

Reduction of dietary supplements imports by 8% to 81.7 million packages

In 2023, approximately 81.7 million packages of dietary supplements (dietary supplements) were imported to Russia. This is 8.2% less than in the previous year, when about 89.1 packages of this product were delivered. The indicator decreased due to the increase in domestic production, as stated in the materials of BusinesStat, published in mid-April 2024.

The study notes that a significant surge in demand for imported dietary supplements in Russia was observed in 2020, when their consumption rose by 12.3% compared to 2019 - from 92.2 million to 103.5 million packages. The rise in prices led to the fact that buyers began to purchase imported dietary supplements for future use. Moreover, as in the case of domestic products, the peak of demand in 2020 fell on the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Growth continued in 2021, when dietary supplements imports rose 6.6% on an annualized basis, reaching 110.4 million packages. Dietary supplements were used as a preventive agent to strengthen immunity and were included in treatment protocols during the post-covid period. The specifics of the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 have led to a high demand for prebiotics/probiotics and monovitamines - primarily groups C and D.

In 2022, against the background of the formed geopolitical situation, the import of dietary supplements to the Russian market decreased by 19.3%. Deliveries from Germany (by 9.2 million packages), Lithuania (by 8.1 million packages) and the Netherlands (by 4.4 million packages) decreased the most. Foreign suppliers had difficulties with container and air transportation, as well as with the payment of transactions through Russian banks. In addition, the built supply chains were disrupted. In 2023, the decline continued, but its pace slowed down. Among foreign manufacturers, suppliers from the United States were in the lead: Solgar (Solar dietary supplement series), PharmaMed (Buck-Seth and Fitomucil) and Unipharm (Detrimax) are the most popular products. ^[4]

Microalgae production launched in Sevastopol for the first time in Russia

Scientists of the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas named after A.O. Kovalevsky RAS (FIC InBUM) in Sevastopol for the first time in Russia launched an experimental production of microalgae. Algae contain a large amount of vitamins and antioxidants, and the module will increase their yield on an industrial scale. This was announced in early August 2023 by the head of the department of biotechnology and phytoresources of the Federal Research Center InBUM Andrei Borovkov. Read more here.

2022

Sales of dietary supplements in Russia for the year reached 120 billion rubles

Sales of biologically active additives (dietary supplements) in 2022 on the Russian market reached 120 billion rubles. Alexander Zhestkov, executive director of the Union of Dietary Supplement Manufacturers SRO, cited such data in October 2023.

According to him, the volume of the Russian dietary supplement market since 2018 has grown at double-digit rates - by about 20% per year. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has catalyzed this rise.

Sales of biologically active additives (dietary supplements) in 2022 on the Russian market reached 120 billion rubles

When the Ministry of Health and Rospotrebnadzor issued recommendations for the prevention of diseases using vitamin C and D, there were incredible sales figures in these categories of goods. Now we are seeing more demand for dietary supplements of the anti-stress category, complex vitamins for men, women and monovitamines, - said Zhestkov in October 2023.

According to Anna Valueva, head of Smart Consult, in 2022 the weighted average price for biologically active additives increased by 17.4% and amounted to 290 rubles. Such an increase was recorded for the first time since 2020, when explosive demand for dietary supplements was noticeable, she stressed.

At the same time, the increase in dietary supplements consumption in physical terms also took place and amounted, despite the difficult geopolitical situation and the decrease in real disposable incomes of the population, to 7.4% compared to 2021. According to analysts at Smart Consult, the growth in natural demand in 2022 was provided by premium price products. So in 2022, sales in all segments, except for Premium, decreased relative to 2021. The Russian dietary supplement market is growing primarily due to wealthy people focused on leading a healthy lifestyle, part of which are expensive vitamin complexes and various dietary supplements, experts say.

The largest manufacturers of dietary supplements on the Russian market in 2022 were named Evalar, Solar, PharmaMed and Kvadrat-S^[5]

Dietary supplements supplies from abroad to Russia decreased

The supply of dietary supplements from abroad to Russia in 2022 decreased by 20.3% compared to 2021 - to 87.9 million packages. Such data in May 2023 were cited by BusinesStat analysts.

According to their estimates, imports of dietary supplements from the following countries fell the most in 2022: Germany (by 9 million packages), Lithuania (by 8.3 million), the Netherlands (by 4 million). In 2022, the export of Russian dietary supplements to China also sank significantly - by 842 thousand packs. This is primarily due to the restructuring of supply chains and the final rise in product prices.

Dietary supplements supplies from abroad to the Russian Federation decreased

The total export of dietary supplements from the Russian Federation at the end of 2022 decreased by 33.8% in physical terms. The strongest in 2022 were deliveries to Ukraine (by 3.09 million packages), which were almost in full sent to the LPR and DPR. The fact is that after the ratification of the agreements on the admission to Russia of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions, held on October 4, 2022, customs on the border between the Russian Federation and the new territories was abolished. Now the sale of goods, works and services in new regions is a common domestic trade in Russia. In addition, in connection with the start of a military special operation (SVO) in April 2022, a complete ban on the import of goods from Russia was introduced in Ukraine.

Russian dietary supplement exports were poorly developed even before the start of the SVO. The fact is that Russian pharmaceutical manufacturers were not actively promoting their products in foreign markets due to the limited financial resources. The situation was complicated by high competition with international giants of the pharmaceutical industry. In March 2022, new Western sanctions were added to this, the study notes. In 2022, the export of dietary supplements from Russia in monetary terms sank by 41.6% compared to 2021, to $14.2 million.^[6]

Market growth by 19.8% to 150 billion rubles

The volume of the Russian market for dietary supplements (dietary supplements) in 2022 reached 150 billion rubles, which is 19.8% more than a year earlier. In terms of the number of packages sold of such products, the market grew by 0.5%, to 364 million units. This is evidenced by the data of the DSM Group, released in early April 2023.

On average, one package of dietary supplements in 2022 cost the consumer of the pharmacy 288 rubles (retail price), which is 19.2% higher than a year earlier. In prices for the purchase of pharmacies, the weighted average cost of dietary supplements is about 226 rubles. Rising prices and consumers switching to more expensive additives significantly affected the sales structure by price segment. A tangible increase in volume was demonstrated by the "high" price segment (+ 33.1% in rubles. and + 25.8% in packages).

One package of dietary supplements in 2022 cost the consumer of the pharmacy 288 rubles

As a result, the structure of the dietary supplement market in terms of price categories changed in favor of dietary supplements with a price of over 500 rubles - the share of this group of food additives increased by 6.1% in value terms and by 3.8% in natural terms. As a result, expensive food additives brought pharmacies more than half of the revenue (60.6% share in rubles), for comparison, in 2018 this figure was only 39.6%.

As noted by Natalia Prokopyeva, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Evalar CJSC, the development of e-commerce has become the key driver of the growth of the Russian dietary supplement market. Through this channel, sales of dietary supplements increased by 82%, while in the pharmacy segment - by 13%, the DSM Group researchers calculated.

It should be noted that in 2022, as part of our CRM system, we began to record growth in the online segment of the audience over 45 years old. That is, today the mature age group has also mastered online consumption, - said Prokopyeva.[7]

Notes