Last year Russia added 540 new medicines to the market, with total distribution reaching about 52.1 million packages. This update comes from News, reported through the state labeling system operated by the Center for Promising Technologies, the agency behind the Honest Sign program. The labeling system tracks drug origins, authenticity, and distribution so authorities, doctors, and patients can verify products across the supply chain. The release helps illuminate how new medicines enter circulation and how labels stay consistent across brands.
Industry representatives explain that pharmaceutical companies can market a drug using its active substance, the international nonproprietary name, under multiple brand names. In Russian practice this substance is referred to as MNN, which allows products sharing the same active ingredient to appear under different brands while keeping labeling transparent.
Looking at 2024 data, the total number of new MNNs entering circulation reached 61, with about 3.6 million packages. Thirty-six of these were imported, while twenty-four were produced in Russia. The new substances show a mix of supply chains, with some arriving from foreign manufacturers and others produced by local facilities that align with global quality standards.
These new MNNs span several pharmacological groups. Modulators account for roughly twenty percent of the total, vitamins about seventeen percent, antitussive and related respiratory medicines about ten percent, medicines for disorders involving muscle control about ten percent, and medicines addressing acidity disorders around eight percent. The distribution highlights the diversity of therapeutic areas covered by new active substances.
In January, Prime Minister Mishustin reported that eighteen items were added to Russia’s GNLP list of vital and essential medicines. This move reflects ongoing efforts to secure access to important therapies and to strengthen the national medicine basket for public health and patient care.
Drugs with Russian origins continue to attract demand abroad. International interest in these medicines remains high, reinforcing the importance of accurate labeling and clear brand identification for cross border trade. The experience of the Russian market underlines how global buyers evaluate product availability, quality, and the pathways by which medicines reach patients worldwide.