Variations in indicators of the health sector and the pharmaceutical market in Russia during 2020

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the influence of coronavirus on the functioning of the system of healthcare and the associated pharmaceutical industry in Russia. The study of the influence of coronavirus infection on the system of healthcare and pharmaceutical market in Russia was made using a statistical method of comparison of the parameters. The degree of influence on the system of healthcare was estimated by the monthly dynamic of the morbidity rate, which reflected the load on medical institutions of the budgetary system of healthcare of the RF. The changes on the pharmaceutical market were evaluated through quantitative and price factors: quantitative factor was defined by the dynamics of general volume of sales and price – by the changes of the average-weighted prices on the market. As a result, it was established that the dynamics of the morbidity rate with coronavirus in Russia varied wavelike, significantly increasing in the periods of pandemic peaks in May and December 2020. This indicates that the system of healthcare lacks mechanisms of fighting the infection spread in complicated epidemiologic conditions, the bed capacity is low, and there is a deficit in medical personnel. During pandemics, a significant increase in the drug cost was observed on the pharmaceutical market. Especially, it was evident for drugs used to limit the spread of coronavirus, which was confirmed by the shift of drugs sales to the group of antimicrobials. Coronavirus pandemic significantly affected the structure and tendencies in the development of healthcare and Russian pharmaceutical market.