The explosive growth in demand for the antiepileptic drug gabapentin in the retail pharmaceutical market segment forced the Ministry of Health to include it in the list of subject-quantitative registration (PKU). The new control rules came into effect on March 1, 2026. However, the circulation restrictions did not affect the veterinary market, where drugs with this active ingredient are also present. According to the "Retail Audit of Veterinary Drug Sales in Russia (total sell out)" from the analytical company RNC Pharma, the complication of purchasing gabapentin drugs for medical use coincided with a sharp spike in demand for their veterinary analogues, including on major marketplaces. In March 2026, retail sales of veterinary drugs with the INN gabapentin (excluding combination products) increased by 20% compared to February, exceeding 1 million minimum dosage units (MDU). In April, the upward trend continued: purchase volumes reached a record 1.2 million MDU worth a total of RUB 89.5 million, marking a historical maximum for veterinary retail.

Retrospective analysis showed that the starting point for a significant increase in demand for veterinary gabapentin was March 2024. Prior to this, average monthly sales were at minimal levels (from 3 to 90 packages), but then they jumped sharply to 2.5 thousand packages, equivalent to 12.3 thousand MDU. By April 2024, retail sales soared to 59 thousand MDU, and by December 2024, monthly consumption volume exceeded 272 thousand physical units. However, the real boom occurred in 2025, when market dynamics surpassed all forecasts: annual sales volume in veterinary retail exceeded 6.8 million MDU worth a total of RUB 406.1 million. This figure demonstrated more than a sevenfold increase compared to the results of 2024.

In the first four months of 2026, specialized veterinary pharmacies and pet stores (including online) in Russia sold over 4.3 million MDU of gabapentin. Compared to January–April 2025, sales volume of this drug in veterinary retail increased 3.6-fold in physical terms, while consumer spending increased 4-fold. The key driver of the market is the online segment, with the largest marketplaces at the core of sales. E-commerce dynamics consistently outpace those of classical retail. In 2025, the physical volume of online purchases of gabapentin drugs increased 18-fold compared to 2024, while traditional retail showed a sixfold increase (in MDU). The gap persists this year: from January to April 2026, online sales increased 6-fold compared to the same period last year, while the offline channel showed only a threefold increase.

The geographical distribution of demand on the Russian retail veterinary gabapentin market is characterized by strong disparity. In terms of absolute consumption volumes from January to April 2026, the most populous regions lead: Moscow accounted for 632.4 thousand MDU, Moscow Oblast — 318.1 thousand MDU, and Saint Petersburg — 254 thousand MDU. Fourth place was taken by Krasnodar Krai with about 237 thousand MDU. While demand in the top three regions increased approximately threefold over the year, in Krasnodar Krai sales grew more than fourfold. At the same time, in terms of consumption growth rates in physical terms, the leaders were the Republic of Kalmykia and Amur Oblast, where sales volumes soared 39-fold and 28-fold, respectively. Conversely, the weakest sales dynamics were recorded in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (+0.1%) and Voronezh Oblast (+0.9%). Minimal consumption is also recorded in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug — where only five packages of veterinary gabapentin were sold from January to April of this year.

Fig. Volume and Dynamics of Sales of Veterinary Gabapentin Drugs* on the Russian Retail Market (including online channel) from January 2025 to April 2026

*Excluding combinations of gabapentin with trazodone succinate and meloxicam.

Minimum dosage units (MDU) – the total number of tablets, vials, ampoules and other dosage forms included in consumer packages.