In four regions of Russia there is not enough saline solution in pharmacies

In at least four regions of Russia, pharmacies and medical institutions are faced with a shortage of saline solution, which is used for injections and droppers. RTVI writes about this with reference to local media.

Doctors and pharmacists from the Tyumen, Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions, as well as the Perm Territory, complained about the shortage of saline solution.

In 2024, the volume of saline solution received by the healthcare system decreased sharply, said Nikolai Bespalov, development director at RNC Pharma. According to him, in the first to third quarters of 2024, the market received 27.7 million packages, which is 45% less than in the same period in 2023. At the same time, the total annual need for saline solution is 50-60 million packages.

According to the expert, the shortage is associated with low production profitability: saline solution is included in the list of vital and essential medicines, so its price is fixed by the state and is almost not indexed.

“At the same time, the cost of production and logistics of the drug has increased significantly. Despite the fact that the drug is not high-tech, the costs of its production are significant. The raw materials are domestic, but water treatment systems and packaging materials are heavily dependent on foreign suppliers,” Bespalov said.

He added that until the cost of production is indexed, major improvements in the production of the drug should not be expected.