The tightening in March 2026 of the rules for the circulation of gabapentin drugs for medical use, through their inclusion in the list of drugs subject to subject-quantitative registration (PKU), caused a collapse in their pharmacy sales. At the same time, a significant increase in sales of the similar-acting pregabalin is observed, with demand showing an upward trend.

Since 2017, the market has recorded steady growth in consumer spending on gabapentin for medical use, annually exceeding 33%. In 2025, the total volume of pharmacy sales of the drug in Russia (including the new regions) reached 11.2 million packages, amounting to RUB 9.5 billion in monetary terms. The introduction of additional control measures on the dispensing of the drug broke the multi-year trend: from January to August 2026, residents of our country purchased only 3.3 million packages worth RUB 3.3 billion. These figures demonstrate a sharp decline compared to the same period last year — physical sales volume decreased by 55%, and the segment's value decreased by 46%.

According to the "Retail Audit of Drug Sales in Russia (total sell out)" from the analytical company RNC Pharma, the multi-year growth in demand for the drug ceased only at the beginning of March 2026, when its purchase in pharmacy institutions became much more difficult. In physical terms, gabapentin sales fell fourfold compared to the same period in 2025 — from 905 thousand to 211 thousand packages. The historical maximum consumption of the drug was recorded in July, August, and December 2025 (over 1 million packages monthly). For comparison, starting from March of this year, physical sales volume did not exceed 266 thousand packages.

Simultaneously with the decline in demand for gabapentin, a sharp surge in sales of the drug pregabalin, which is also on the PKU list, was recorded on the market in March 2026. The trend toward increasing sales volumes of pregabalin emerged at the end of last year: in December 2025, physical sales grew by 53% compared to December 2024, and by the end of March of this year, long-term dynamics reached +64%. During the summer period, the upward trend only intensified, showing dynamics from +75% in June to a peak of +83% in August. Moreover, the growth affected both the original drug Lyrica (Viatris) and generics. Compared to January–August 2025, package sales of Lyrica increased by 56%, while other pregabalin analogues grew by 73%.

The key manufacturer of gabapentin during the reporting period is the domestic manufacturer Kanonpharma, which accounts for almost 48% of the drug's total physical sales volume. In the pregabalin segment, leadership is held by the originator company Viatris with the brand Lyrica, which accounts for 68% of total physical demand in the market.

Fig. Sales Volume of Gabapentin Drugs for Medical Use and Pregabalin on the Russian Retail Pharmaceutical Market from January 2025 to August 2026