Russians began to spend 22% more on medicines Russians' spending on medicines and medical equipment increased by 22% during the year. The average bill at pharmacies rose by almost 15% and reached 1,000 rubles, according to SberIndex data for October 2025 - September 2026. At the same time, drug prices are rising unevenly. During the nine months of 2026, the prices of laxatives increased the most - by 14.3%, anti-epileptic drugs - by 11.4%, as well as sleeping pills and sedatives - by 11%. However, the main reason for the increase in costs is not only a price increase. Russians are increasingly opting for more expensive drugs, notes Nikolai Besplov, development manager at RNC Pharma. The popularity of weight loss drugs based on semaglutide and tiraceptide played a significant role. In the first nine months of 2026 alone, Russians spent 80.5 billion rubles on such drugs. At the same time, buyers began to approach their purchases more economically. According to the commercial director of Rigala-Zdarbacity, Ilya Nikolaev, people are less likely to purchase drugs in stock and more often rely on a doctor's prescription.

Russians began to spend 22% more on medicines Russians' spending on medicines and medical equipment increased by 22% during the year. The average bill at pharmacies rose by almost 15% and reached 1,000 rubles, according to SberIndex data for October 2025 - September 2026. At the same time, drug prices are rising unevenly. During the nine months of 2026, the prices of laxatives increased the most - by 14.3%, anti-epileptic drugs - by 11.4%, as well as sleeping pills and sedatives - by 11%. However, the main reason for the increase in costs is not only a price increase. Russians are increasingly opting for more expensive drugs, notes Nikolai Besplov, development manager at RNC Pharma. The popularity of weight loss drugs based on semaglutide and tiraceptide played a significant role. In the first nine months of 2026 alone, Russians spent 80.5 billion rubles on such drugs. At the same time, buyers began to approach their purchases more economically. According to the commercial director of Rigala-Zdarbacity, Ilya Nikolaev, people are less likely to purchase drugs in stock and more often rely on a doctor's prescription.