Over the first ten months of 2025, Russian consumers purchased 67.7 million packages of medicines from the group of topical antirheumatic products (group M02A). Year-on-year, physical consumption in this category decreased by 0.5 percent. Meanwhile, the value of sales of the products under review increased by 13.2 percent and exceeded 22.1 billion rubles over the reporting period (at retail prices, including value-added tax). The decline in unit demand in this category has been observed for several consecutive years: in 2023–2024, physical sales decreased by 1 percent and 3 percent, respectively, while consumer spending increased by 3 percent and 15 percent. Notably, the overall decline in demand does not affect the online channel — unit sales in this group grew by 11 percent year-on-year.

According to the “Audit of Retail Sales of Medicinal Products in Russia (total sell out)” database of the analytical company RNC Pharma, the retail market (including the online channel) for topical antirheumatic medicines and analgesics is dominated by Russian products, which accounted for more than 69 percent of unit sales and about 54 percent of value sales during the reporting period. Most of the market is represented by products containing diclofenac (including combinations) and ketoprofen — in January–October of the current year, their unit share exceeded 34 percent, while in value terms it amounted to 47 percent. In total, over the first ten months of 2025, the retail segment featured 112 brands of the products under review from ninety-six corporations.

As of January–October 2025, first place among topical antirheumatic and analgesic medicines is held by Diclofenac in gel and ointment form, produced by sixteen different companies, the primary one being Binnopharm (manufacturing performed at the Synthesis plant in Kurgan). Unbranded diclofenac products accounted for 17.4 percent of total consumer spending in the category and demonstrated strong growth rates, with +22 percent in value and +5 percent in units year-on-year. Second place is held by Voltaren gel from GlaxoSmithKline, with a market share of 10.4 percent (+6 percent in value). Third place belongs to Dimexid, produced by seventeen companies, with Biofarmaks being the leading manufacturer. The Dimexid brand is currently represented in three different dosage forms, and overall it accounted for 7 percent of the category’s value sales with +9 percent in value terms. In fourth place is another unbranded product, Ketoprofen (manufactured by eleven companies), with a market share of 5.1 percent; its value sales increased by 15 percent year-on-year.

The strongest growth rate within the top ten brands was recorded for the German product Dolgitblok (a combination of ibuprofen and levomenthol in gel form) from Dolorgiet. The brand ranks seventh and its sales increased by 41 percent in value over the year. It is noteworthy that while this trademark recorded a significant increase in sales, another product from the same company — Dolgit (a monoproduct of ibuprofen) — showed a 13 percent decline and became the only product within the top ten that demonstrated negative value dynamics relative to January–October 2024.

Outside the top ten, the highest growth rates were recorded for the brand Diclofarm (international nonproprietary name diclofenac) from Dominanta — year-on-year, sales of this product increased 3.5 times.

Table. Top 10 brands of topical antirheumatic medicines and analgesics (group M02A according to the EphMRA classification) by value sales in the Russian retail pharmaceutical market in January–October 2025