How Popular Is Sertraline
According to the analytical company DSM Group, Zoloft did not show any drop in sales in the retail segment during 2021. In November-December, pharmacies sold almost twice as many packages of Zoloft as in 2020 – more than 170 thousand packages against 96 thousand. The drug, according to analysts, was in third place in 2021 in terms of popularity among consumers in the segment of antidepressants
Read on RBC Pro
“The figures that we see for retail sales are the remains of the drug, the last packages. The deficit began in the regions where the highest consumption was noted – Moscow and Central Russia, but soon it will reach distant regions, ”Sergey Shulyak, general director of DSM Group, told RBC.
RBC sent inquiries to the distributors of Katren and Pharmkomplekt with a request to comment on the drug interruptions.
Active ingredient sertraline enters in the list of vital and essential drugs (VED), however, according to DSM Group, only an insignificant part of the drug is involved in the state segment – less than 10% of the total volume. “Therefore, it would be wrong to say that the entire volume went there,” summed up Shulyak.
How do doctors say about Zoloft?
The drug is popular and widely used by psychiatrists and psychotherapists due to the minimal number of side effects, Doctor of Medical Sciences, an employee of the N.N. V.P. Serbskogo Alexander Fedorovich. “It has analogues, but if, as a result of the selection, the specialist came to the conclusion about the effectiveness of this particular drug, then the replacement always requires time and rather great difficulty for the patient,” he said.
The reaction of the manufacturer and Roszdravnadzor
Viatris Russia confirmed to RBC that there were problems with Zoloft’s supplies. “Recently, in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in demand for the Zoloft drug in various countries. As a result, there are delays in the supply of the drug, including to Russia, ”the company told RBC. They added that the resumption of supplies is expected in March 2022.
Roszdravnadzor reported to RBC that from January 2021 to January 2022, more than 847 thousand packages of Zoloft in 5 dosage forms entered civil circulation. The department did not receive letters [от производителя] on the termination of supplies, but in April 2021 there was a letter of delays. Also, over the same period in Russia, more than 1.4 million drugs with the active ingredient sertraline were introduced into civil circulation.
Last March there were also interruptions with the drug “Zoloft”, reported “Pharmvestnik”. Then he ended up in pharmacies in Moscow, Omsk, Nizhny Novgorod and others.
…
ttn-1