The Government Spends Tens of Billions of Rubles a Year on Drugs Without Proven Effectiveness. A Novaya-Europe Investigation

Forwarded From Novaya-Europe: Stories

💊 The government spends tens of billions of rubles a year on drugs without proven effectiveness. A Novaya-Europe investigation

⚪️ Nearly 800 drugs from the Russian registry of vital and essential medicines do not have proven effectiveness, Novaya-Europe found. At the same time, it is exactly these kinds of drugs that the state buys for hospitals for tens of billions of rubles and sometimes requires pharmacies to keep on their shelves.

🔎 Among them are not only medicines well known to Russians such as Arbidol, Kagocel, and glycine, but also drugs used to treat serious illnesses.

The decision to include a drug is made by a Health Ministry commission, which evaluates not only effectiveness but also cost, localization of production, and other parameters. After the vote, the final word remains with the government. As a result, the registry includes drugs whose effectiveness has not been confirmed by the standards of evidence-based medicine.

💸 For manufacturers, getting into the state registry opens access to government procurement. In 2025 alone, state institutions spent at least 44.6 billion rubles on active substances without proven effectiveness.

➡️ Who benefits from this system and why such drugs continue to receive state support — in Novaya-Europe’s report.

Read without VPN