In total, from January 1 to January 25, 2026, retail sales of finished pharmaceutical products in Russia amounted to RUB 126.2 billion at retail prices, including VAT. This figure is 10.8% higher than the level recorded over the same period in 2025. Despite the double-digit growth in value terms, sales volumes in physical terms declined, both in packs (-2.1%) and in minimum dosage units (-0.6%). Over the first four weeks of January 2026, Russian pharmacies sold 310.3 million packs of medicines, or approximately 6.5 billion minimum dosage units.

Traditionally, the lowest level of consumer activity falls on January 1. According to the “Audit of Retail Drug Sales in Russia (total sell-out)” database of the analytical company RNC Pharma, a total of 4.7 million packs of medicines were sold nationwide on this day, with total spending of RUB 1.85 billion — roughly three times lower than average daily sales during the rest of January. Notably, the structure of consumer demand on this day differs significantly from the usual pattern. On January 1, 2026, the top-selling products included Theraflu (GSK), Nurofen (Reckitt Benckiser), and unbranded oseltamivir products from nine different manufacturers, with the leading position held by Ozon Pharm. Overall, almost the entire list of the most in-demand medicines on January 1 consisted of drugs directly related to the treatment of colds and influenza-like illnesses — clearly indicating that visiting a pharmacy on this day requires strong motivation. Among products not related to the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections, only one brand entered the top ten — Enterosgel (Pharmasil), which ranked ninth.

Only from January 2–3 did more familiar brands begin to reappear among the sales leaders, including Semavik (Geropharm), Eliquis (Pfizer), and Forxiga (AstraZeneca). With the start of regular working days, overall consumption returned to typical seasonal levels. At the same time, demand for cold and antiviral medicines in January 2026 was significantly higher than in the same period a year earlier.

The overall sales result for the first four weeks of January 2026 was largely determined by the greater number of public holidays compared with 2025. Last year, the first working days fell on January 9–10, meaning that in January 2025 there were two more working days than in the current year. Since pharmacy activity traditionally declines during weekends and public holidays, this factor explains the negative dynamics in physical sales volumes observed for the period from January 1 to January 25. During all other working days of January 2026, medicine consumption volumes substantially exceeded last year’s levels.

The absolute sales peak in January 2026 was recorded on January 20, when total retail sales reached 14.8 million packs of medicines, with consumer spending amounting to RUB 6.1 billion.

Demand dynamics in January 2026 were largely driven by an increase in the incidence of respiratory illnesses. As a result, in addition to semaglutide analogues, the most pronounced growth in consumption was observed for antiviral drugs (value growth of +36%), expectorants (+23%), and cold remedies without antimicrobial components (+21%).