Kozyreva P.M., Smirnov A.I. Accessibility of pharmaceuticals under increased sanction pressure. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Sociology, 2025. Vol. 18. No. 2. Pp. 172–185.

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: https://sociologyjournal.spbu.ru/article/view/23370 (дата обращения 13.12.2025)

Abstract

Based on data from the “Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey — Higher School of Economics” (RLMS-HSE), an assessment and analysis of the state of availability of medicines in Russia was carried out. The study showed that the task of improving drug supply, which involves increasing the availability of modern and effective medicines for the entire population, and not just for certain socially vulnerable groups and categories of citizens entitled to social support measures, has not lost its relevance. But at the same time, the problem of access to medicines is no longer perceived by the majority of citizens surveyed as extremely alarming, but for many of those who cannot afford the medications they need, it remains vital. Today, every fifth respondent who takes medications as prescribed by a doctor experiences difficulty in purchasing medications. The main reasons preventing the purchase of prescribed medications remain the lack of funds to purchase medications and the lack of necessary drugs in pharmacies. As before, the problem of access to medicines for the entire population in rural areas, especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas, is more acute and is being resolved more slowly than in cities. Using the example of disabled people, it is shown that due to the lack of necessary medications in pharmacies, the complexity of the mechanism for obtaining them and a number of other reasons, many citizens entitled to preferential drug coverage are forced to refuse to receive prescribed medications in favor of monetary compensation. Almost three-quarters of Russians surveyed who take vital and essential medications, to a greater or lesser extent, need imported drugs. In such a situation, the reduction in the range of imported drugs in pharmacies only exacerbates the need for further intensification of import substitution in the field of drug supply

Content (in russ)