The tightening of controls over the antiepileptic drug gabapentin resulted from the galloping growth in its consumption over recent years, which has been inconsistent with therapeutic indications. According to the "Retail Audit of Drug Sales in Russia (total sell out)" from the analytical company RNC Pharma, in 2025, Russians nationwide (including Russia's new regions) purchased 11.2 million packages of drugs containing the active substance gabapentin. Compared to 2024, consumption in packages increased by nearly 23%. The total ruble sales volume of gabapentin drugs last year reached RUB 9.5 billion — consumer spending increased by 33.4% over the year. High consumption rates have been recorded since 2017, but truly galloping dynamics began in 2020. In 2024, sales growth in packages was 16.1% compared to the previous period, and in 2023 — 24.8%. Moreover, the annual increase in consumer spending consistently exceeded 33%.

The rapid growth in demand only ceased in early March 2026. In physical terms, gabapentin sales fell fourfold compared to the same period in 2025 — from 905,000 to 211,000 packages. In April, the market showed a slight correction: pharmacy sales reached 245,000 packages (RUB 244 million), which, nevertheless, also lagged fourfold behind April of last year. For comparison, peak consumption volumes of the drug occurred in July and August 2025 (over 1 million packages monthly), while December of last year showed a comparable physical volume (1.01 million packages) and a historical maximum in monetary terms — RUB 942 million.

The geographical structure of the Russian retail gabapentin market is highly heterogeneous. The leaders in absolute consumption in 2025 were Krasnodar Krai (over 1.2 million packages) and Rostov Oblast (more than 1 million packages). Moscow took only third place in the ranking, with about 740,000 packages. At the same time, the highest growth rates in physical terms were demonstrated by other federal subjects of the Russian Federation: in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, sales doubled last year, while in Kursk Oblast, sales volume increased by 89%.

In terms of per capita consumption of gabapentin, the regional structure looks different: leading positions are occupied by Stavropol Krai and Rostov Oblast. In 2025, 249 and 243 packages per 1,000 residents were sold here, respectively. For comparison, in Moscow this figure is significantly lower and does not exceed 60 packages per 1,000 people. Third place is occupied by Krasnodar Krai with a result of 211 packages per 1,000 population. The minimum levels of per capita consumption were recorded in the Chechen Republic and the Republic of Tyva — here, an average of 6 to 10 packages per 1,000 people were sold. It should be emphasized that these figures do not account for cross-border pendulum migration, in which residents of one region may purchase medications in neighboring federal subjects of the Russian Federation. Interestingly, the largest decline in gabapentin sales in March of this year was observed in the Republic of Adygea and Stavropol Krai — compared to March of last year, sales here fell 82-fold and 33-fold, respectively.

At the same time, multiple-fold consumption dynamics of gabapentin drugs are also being recorded in veterinary drugs; we will return to this market in a separate review.