Online pharmaceutical sales in Russia soared by 35.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, reaching 139.5 billion rubles, triple the average growth rate of the sector. This marked the first time online drug sales accounted for over 1.15% of the total pharmaceutical market share.
Online pharmaceutical sales in Russia soared by 35.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, reaching 139.5 billion rubles, triple the average growth rate of the sector. This marked the first time online drug sales accounted for over 1.15% of the total pharmaceutical market share.
Non-prescription drugs led the expansion with a 57% jump to 5.4 billion rubles. Key drivers included cold medication "Терафлю", smoking cessation product "Никоретте", and painkiller "Нурофен", which emerged as top growth contributors.
In terms of platform performance,
Polza.ru, owned by distributor Pulse, stood out as a dark horse with a 270% surge in sales. Meanwhile, pharmacy chain "Апрель" doubled its revenue. In contrast, "Еаптека" saw a 4% decline in income, a trend analysts attributed to its ongoing sale plans.
Industry experts noted that companies lacking offline infrastructure and prescription drug delivery qualifications will struggle to compete with leading players like "Аптека.ру", which have integrated online and offline services.
