From January to February 2026, 41.5 million minimum dosage units (MDU) of animal drugs were sold on the Russian retail market (including the online channel), with physical consumption volume increasing by 10.3% year-on-year. At the same time, total spending on this product category increased by 5.5% compared to January–February 2025, reaching RUB 6.2 billion (at retail prices, including VAT) by the end of the two-month period. February was characterized by higher activity: over the month, Russians purchased over 21 million MDU of veterinary drugs worth nearly RUB 3.3 billion, with long-term dynamics compared to February 2025 recorded at +5.4% in rubles and +7.9% in MDU.

As a rule, demand dynamics in the veterinary market follow a fairly clear seasonal pattern. The main surge in consumer activity always occurs in spring, sales stabilize during the summer period, and with the onset of autumn, the market sees a gradual cooling, reaching a minimum toward the end of the year. In 2025, according to the "Retail Audit of Veterinary Drug Sales in Russia (total sell out)" from the analytical company RNC Pharma, the usual seasonality of the veterinary drug market shifted due to anomalously warm weather. The early warming triggered a pronounced increase in demand for pet drugs. By the end of winter, sales had noticeably increased, and March figures reached the level of the traditional April peak. Notably, the demand structure was also different: in January–February of last year, Russians were already quite actively purchasing external parasite control products and anthelmintics, while in the first two months of 2026, demand has so far been concentrated on vaccine prophylaxis products. In particular, the highest growth rates were observed for the combined vaccine Asterion from the domestic company Vetbiokhim — its sales increased 2.5-fold in physical terms. Also noteworthy is the immunization drug Vanguard from the American company Zoetis, whose sales increased 16.5-fold compared to the same period in 2025. Additionally, in the first two months of the current year, there has been a surge in sales of antiepileptic drugs for animals, which mainly contain gabapentin; compared to January–February 2025, demand for them in retail increased fourfold. However, this may be related to the fact that from March 1, 2026, gabapentin for medical use in Russia was officially transferred to the list of drugs subject to subject-quantitative registration (PKU), making it impossible to purchase without a prescription.

It is also worth noting that this year, the veterinary retail market is seeing the rapid development of the e-commerce channel. The share of online sales of veterinary drugs in January–February 2026 reached 29.4% of the total value volume. In physical terms, the share of online purchases during the analyzed period was 28.6%, whereas a year earlier it did not exceed 20.2%. It is important to note that the physical growth dynamics of veterinary drug sales are currently entirely driven by the online channel. Compared to January–February 2025, sales of veterinary drugs in the e-commerce segment increased by 56% in physical units, while the ruble volume grew by 13%. At the same time, in traditional retail outlets, demand for animal drugs stagnated compared to the same period (+3% in monetary terms and -1% in physical terms).

Fig. Monthly Sales Volume of Veterinary Drugs on the Russian Retail Market (including marketplaces) in January 2023 – February 2026, RUB billion, at retail prices, including VAT