In the first five months of 2026, pharmaceutical enterprises located in Russia demonstrated sustained positive production dynamics. According to the database "Production of Medicinal Products in Russia" from the analytical company RNC Pharma, during the reporting period, the output of finished medicinal products (FMPs) amounted to over 1.65 billion packages, corresponding to 35.5 billion minimum dosage units (MDU). Compared to January–May 2025, the physical volume of drug production increased by 4.9% in packages and 5.5% in minimum dosage units. In the first five months of this year, the total FMP output in our country reached RUB 421.5 billion (at manufacturer selling prices, including VAT). Compared to the same period last year, production growth was recorded at 17.1% in ruble terms.

During the first five months of 2026, the peak shipment figures for localized pharmaceutical enterprises were recorded in March, when output volume amounted to 351.9 million packages or 8 billion minimum dosage units, showing growth of nearly 14% compared to the same period last year. In the following months, a downward trend emerged: in April, production decreased to 346.9 million packages, and in May it fell to 316.7 million packages. Compared to May 2025, FMP shipments grew only in minimum dosage units (+6.2%), while in packages, stagnation was recorded for the second consecutive month (-0.9%). Despite the slowdown in physical growth rates, ruble figures showed significant improvement, with the monetary value of May shipments reaching RUB 88.7 billion, exceeding last year's figures by 24.7%.

Retrospective analysis reveals a stable intra-year seasonality in pharmaceutical production, characterized by a regular January decline followed by growth from February to April. At the same time, for the second year in a row, a downward trend begins in May, reaching its minimum in June, when production volume in 2025 fell to 306 million packages. A slight recovery in July is followed by another decline in August, after which the autumn peak of production companies traditionally begins. While the peak usually occurs in October and December, the last month of 2025 showed an outstanding result — shipment volumes exceeded 422 million packages, becoming an absolute record of recent years, second only to the historical maximum of March 2022, when the domestic pharmaceutical industry produced about 443 million packages of FMPs.

Within the TOP-30 therapeutic groups leading in terms of physical output volume, most demonstrated significant shipment growth in January–May 2026. Among them, the highest growth rate during the reporting period was shown by drugs for the treatment of diabetes mellitus (+43% in packages), anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic drugs (+24%), and drugs for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases (+22%). Interestingly, a notable decline was observed for topical antirheumatic drugs (-36% compared to January–May 2025).

Fig. Production Volume of Finished Medicinal Products in Russia (including the output of foreign pharmaceutical companies at their own and contract sites) from January 2024 to May 2026, million packages