Western drugmakers are continuing to export life-saving medicines to Russia, citing a moral obligation to patients. But as public outrage over Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine grows the industry is scaling back its presence in the country and warning sanctions will cause logistical problems that threaten to result in a shortage of drugs.
Pharma is one of the few western industries that can continue to operate in Russia because of a carve-out in the sanctions regime for medicines, food and humanitarian products. But that has thrown up a different set of challenges for companies trying to balance their responsibility to help sick Russians while demonstrating their opposition to the war.
Pfizer told the Financial Times this week it would not make any new investments in contract manufacturing that are not already fully operational, referring to the practice of making drugs for other companies. That will halt a high-profile partnership previously agreed with Russia’s Pharmstandard that was due to begin making innovative cancer treatments in the country by 2024.