Black market for medicines emerging in Russia: regulator

MOSCOW: Russia’s health watchdog expressed concern on Wednesday about the online re-selling of pharmaceutical drugs after some ran out due to shortages and price increases caused by Western sanctions.

While international sanctions do not include imported medicines, media reports have warned that Russian pharmaceutical companies could be left without the necessary raw materials and components.

Roszdravnadzor, the state health regulator, said in a statement Wednesday that it was “noting instances of individuals actively re-selling drugs via social networks and marketplaces.”

It warned that in such cases a buyer cannot be sure of the quality of the purchased product, which could lead to “unpredictable tragic consequences”.

Last week, Russia’s health ministry announced that certain drugs were in short supply, blaming this on panic buying and urging people to refrain from buying extra supplies.

The regulator did not mention shortages or give any details on measures to be taken to curb the re-selling of drugs, which it said was “in violation of the law”.

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