Painkillers

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2024: Increase in sales of painkillers in Russia by 12.4% to ₽28,7 billion

In March 2025, the analytical company RNC Pharma reported that sales of painkillers in Russia are declining for the second year in a row. According to data, in 2024, 266.1 million packages of antipyretic analgesics were sold on the retail market, which is 6.5% less, and sales in ruble terms amounted to ₽28,7 billion, an increase of 12.4%. As part of the study, a rating of the 10 most popular painkillers was compiled, which demonstrates a steady dominant position of leading brands against the background of an overall decline in volumes.

According to RNC Pharma, the multidirectional dynamics is explained by the increase in the cost of drugs - the average price per package for the year increased by 20% and reached ₽108. The main contribution to the dynamics of cost was made by traditional drugs: Analgin, Citramone and others. The maximum price increase was recorded for acetylsalicylic acid - over the year, the cost of one package increased by an average of 32%, reaching ₽33.

Almost 68% of natural sales in the group of painkillers are provided by four unbranded drugs produced by dozens of companies: Citramone, Paracetamol, Analgin and Acetylsalicylic acid. The absolute leader is Citramon - 22.3% in packages. Despite the growth in the cash volume of sales of these analgesics, the actual indicators of demand for them decreased significantly compared to 2023. The largest reduction is observed in Analgin - minus 12% per year in packages.

The peak of sales of analgesics over the past two years was observed steadily in December and August. In 2024, the maximum sales figures were recorded in August - almost 24.8 million packages of painkillers worth ₽2,5 billion were sold. In December, buyers purchased 22.7 million packages of drugs worth ₽2,6 billion. In January 2025, 20.1 million packages were sold, which is 14% less than in January 2024. In February, consumers bought 21.3 million packages, which is 0.2% less than in the same month of 2024.^[1]

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