To hit the dots: in 10 regions, kidney patients are not given medications
Drug shortages for the treatment of chronic kidney disease have occurred in at least ten regions, patients told Izvestia. For example, they complain about refusals to issue their prescribed medicines in the Omsk, Kirov and Saratov regions, as well as in St. Petersburg. One of the reasons is incorrect procurement planning at the regional level, Izvestia found out. Irregular medication intake can cause serious complications, doctors warn.
What medicines are missing
In ten regions of Russia, problems have arisen with the timely provision of medicines to patients with kidney diseases. This was reported to Izvestia by patients and representatives of the regional departments of the Nephro-League patient organization. The problem was recorded in Bashkiria, Dagestan, Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, as well as Omsk, Kirov, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan and Ulyanovsk regions.
So, in St. Petersburg, they complained about the lack of the drug Parsabiv, said Irina Vasilevich, president of the regional department of the patient organization for the city and the Leningrad region. This medicine is prescribed for problems with the endocrine system in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis (a procedure for purifying blood from toxic substances using an artificial kidney device).
Patients from Bashkiria said that they were denied the issuance of several drugs that stimulate the production of red blood cells, in particular, "Eralphone". Izvestia reported on disruptions with this drug in the same region back in November 2024. Now there are complaints about the lack of the drug Mircera (against anemia) and the drug Ketosteril to compensate for protein and energy deficiency. There were also interruptions with iron-based medicines.
Albina Abdullina, a patient from Bashkiria, said that since 2024 she has not received Eralphon in a timely manner, and only this year they began to give her the medicine after the relevant court decision.
— During this time, I have repeatedly sent letters to the Ministry of Health and Roszdravnadzor in the republic with a request to arrange the delivery of medicines to me, — she said. — Due to the fact that I did not take the medicine, I had constant weakness, increased fatigue, headaches and breathing problems.
The woman provided Izvestia with a response from the local Roszdravnadzor, which explains that the Ministry of Health of Bashkortostan "did not organize timely drug provision." The editorial board sent a request to the republican Ministry of Health with a request to inform why medicines are not being provided.
Albert, a hemodialysis patient, has not been able to receive Eralphon in the republic for several months. According to him, his doctor does not give an answer when the drug will appear.
Another dialysis patient from the same region, Evgenia Nazarenkova, is also waiting for medication. She complained to the Bashkir branch of the Nephro-League. His supervisor, Yuri Kandalov, confirmed receipt of Evgenia Nazarenkova's complaint and said that there were similar letters from a dozen other patients.
"We have contacted the local Ministry of Health and the prosecutor's office, but there is no progress," he told Izvestia. — Difficulties with medicines for the treatment of kidney diseases have been occurring in the republic every year in autumn and winter for the last four years, and I annually draw the attention of our Ministry of Health to this.
In Tatarstan, problems with medications for the kidneys usually occur at the end of the year, said Elena Tamashina, a representative of Naberezhnye Chelny.
In the Saratov region, patients with chronic kidney disease at the predialysis stage receive untimely medications "Kalimate" (regulates potassium levels), "Zemplar" (medicine for problems with the endocrine system), as well as medications for anemia. The late delivery of drugs may be due to insufficient financing and incorrect organization of their purchase, said Rustam Khametov, head of the Nefro-League department in the Saratov region.
Pavel Shishkin, the head of the same patient association in the Kirov region, agreed with him. According to him, the main reason for disruptions in the regions is incorrect procurement planning, which does not take into account all patients in need.
Izvestia has sent relevant requests to these regions. The experts interviewed believe that the root of the problem is indeed incorrect planning.
— The demand could have changed, and the existing volume is not enough, — says Nikolay Bespalov, Executive Director of RNC Pharma.
And in the Omsk region, the late delivery of medicines was associated with logistical difficulties, said a representative of the Nefro-League in the region.
Out of ten regions, only the Ministry of Health of the Kirov Region responded to Izvestia's inquiries about this situation. They reported that they had not received any complaints from patients.
How many drugs are on the market
According to the RNC Pharma analytical company, Ketosteril entered the market in the amount of 531 thousand packages from January to September 2025, which is 24% less than in the same period of 2024.
— The drug also has four direct analogues on the Russian market, most of them were also characterized by a decrease in supplies. The exception was Ozon Pharmaceuticals. Shipments of its product increased by 64% over the year. But due to lower shipments from the main players Fresenius and Pharmasynthesis, the total volume of the drug has decreased," said Nikolai Bespalov.
For the first nine months of 2025, the market received 53.4 thousand packages of the Mircera drug. Relative to the 1-3 quarter of 2024, shipments of the original drug decreased slightly — by 2%. But in general, there are more drugs on the market, taking into account its analogues.
— Almost 85 thousand packages of analogues were shipped. The volume increased by 2% over the year," Nikolai Bespalov said.
The production of the Russian drug "Eralphon" (the active ingredient is erythropoietin alpha) in packages increased by 50% in the first nine months of 2025. Supplies of its analogues have decreased, but the total volume of drugs based on erythropoietin alpha, which the market received in January – September 2025, is more than 764 thousand packages. This is 37% more than in the same period of 2024.
Shipments of the Zemplar drug remained virtually unchanged in the first nine months of this year. The drug has an analogue from the Russian R-Pharm — Dekalpar. Its shipments started in 2025. The total volume of supplies of the original drug and its analogues from January to September 2025 amounted to 194.5 thousand packages. This is 10% higher than in 2024.
Kalimate was supplied this year by 28% more than a year earlier.
What is the danger of late receipt of medicines?
The drugs, which patients complained about, replenish kidney function and are vital for them, Natalia Revkovskaya, head of the hemodialysis department at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia.
She explained that the drugs used by hemodialysis patients to produce the hormone erythropoietin are responsible for maintaining the vital functions of all organs in the body.
"Before the advent of such drugs at the end of the 20th century, blood transfusions were performed on patients, but this procedure is associated with the possibility of infection with hepatitis, allergic reactions and other undesirable phenomena," she stressed. — There are drugs on the market now, and this is a salvation for patients. But they must be entered continuously.
If you interrupt their administration, hemoglobin will drop, which will affect the ability to breathe, the expert said.
Also, according to Natalia Revkovskaya, iron is needed to produce red blood cells.
— Patients on dialysis are characterized by iron deficiency. If you don't replenish it with drugs, it will also negatively affect their condition," she added.
It is also important for people with chronic kidney disease to take medications to lower their potassium levels.
— Inappropriate potassium content in the body can lead to cardiac arrest, heart attacks and arrhythmias, — said the expert.
It is also important to provide drugs that maintain the level of phosphorus and parathyroid hormone (involved in regulating the balance of calcium and phosphorus in the blood and body fluids), Natalia Revkovskaya added.
"If parathyroid hormone accumulates, then bone destruction occurs," she noted.
Drugs for the treatment of kidney diseases can be prescribed to patients at different rhythms, that is, the frequency of administration may vary, but regularity is required, the expert emphasized.
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