In the first half of 2026, the total retail sales volume of medical thermometers of all types on the Russian market (including marketplaces and the FMCG channel) amounted to 4.9 million units, equivalent to RUB 1.6 billion in monetary terms (at retail prices, including VAT). Compared to the same period in 2025, a decline was recorded: ruble revenue decreased by 8.9%, while physical demand showed an even deeper decline of 12.4%. This dynamic interrupted the market recovery that had begun in 2025, when after two years of stagnation, physical sales grew by 4.6% and consumer spending increased by 6.9%. Despite the overall decline in demand this year, the e-commerce segment continued its intensive growth, adding 21.1% in monetary terms and 33.8% in physical terms compared to Q1–Q2 2025. Although the online channel accounted for only 16% of the physical and 19.6% of the value volume during the reporting period, its presence in the sales structure is steadily expanding, increasing by an average of 5 percentage points in both ruble terms and units compared to January–June 2025.

According to the "Retail Audit of Medical Device Sales in Russia (total sell out)" from the analytical company RNC Pharma, the medical thermometer category is characterized by pronounced seasonal demand cycles. Peak sales traditionally occur during the autumn-winter period amid rising influenza and ARVI incidence, while consumer activity naturally declines during the warmer months. In 2025, the sales peak was recorded in December, when market volume reached 1.7 million devices and consumer spending amounted to RUB 542.6 million. Less significant but pronounced surges in consumer activity were also observed in February, March, and September of last year — during these periods, monthly physical sales volumes consistently ranged from 1.2 to 1.3 million units, showing a direct correlation with cold-related morbidity statistics in our country.

By analyzing the sales dynamics of ibuprofen-based antipyretics in recent years, we identified a direct synchronization of consumer demand for medical thermometers and the corresponding drug group. During the analyzed period, the peaks and troughs in sales of both categories coincided completely. In December, buyers purchased 13.8 million packages of antipyretics worth RUB 3.1 billion. Conversely, the lowest indicators for both groups are recorded in June. In the first summer month of 2026, thermometer sales fell to 562 thousand devices worth RUB 184.9 million, while sales of ibuprofen drugs dropped to an annual low of 8.7 million packages (RUB 1.9 billion); comparably low antipyretic sales figures were also recorded in February of this year. Overall, demand for antipyretics in the first six months of 2026 decreased by 6.2% in packages compared to the same period in 2025, although spending on them in pharmaceutical retail still increased by 4.8% in rubles.

Fig. Monthly Dynamics of the Retail Market for Medical Thermometers (all types of devices across all channels, including marketplaces and FMCG) and Ibuprofen-Based Antipyretic Drugs (INN: ibuprofen, ibuprofen + paracetamol) in Russia from January 2025 to June 2026