Not for fat: sales of Ozempika analogues have tripled
The sales volume of Ozempika analogues in the Russian market has tripled, Izvestia has learned. According to the results of nine months, more than 3.6 million packages worth 20.5 billion rubles were purchased, the DSM Group estimates. The rapid growth in demand is associated with an increase in the number of inexpensive generics on the market and a relatively affordable way to lose weight among the population, experts say. They believe that this trend will intensify in the coming years — there are already about 120 new-generation drug developments for the treatment of obesity in the world today.
How the sales structure is changing
Pharmacy sales of drugs with the international nonproprietary name (INN) semaglutide in January – September 2025 in monetary volume amounted to 20.5 billion rubles. This is 3.1 times more than in the same period of 2024, the DSM Group estimates. Izvestia has reviewed the research data. In physical terms, sales increased 2.8 times year-on-year, to 3.6 million packages.
RNC Pharma has a similar dynamic. According to her data, pharmacies sold 3.63 million packages in January –September (an increase of 3.7 times year-on-year) for 19 billion rubles (3.4 times more).
Sales of the drug under the Semavik trademark of the Geropharm pharmaceutical company increased the most. Its sales in money amounted to 13 billion rubles (an increase of 2.8 times), in units — 2.2 million packages (2.7 times more), follows from the data of the DSM Group. This is followed by "Kvincenta" (Promomed produces), the volume of its sales increased 1.6 times in annual terms, to 3.3 billion rubles, and 609 thousand packages. Also at the beginning of the year, the pharmaceutical company launched a new trademark of semaglutide "Velgia" — since the beginning of the year, 709.6 thousand packages of this drug worth 3.6 billion rubles have been sold.
Semaglutide was originally developed for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. It is included in the list of vital and essential medicines — their prices are regulated by the state. In recent years, it has also been used for weight loss, especially in overweight and obese people, recalls Nikolai Bespalov, executive director of RNC Pharma.
The original drug was protected by a patent until 2035, but in November 2022, the Danish pharmaceutical company notified Roszdravnadzor of the termination of its supplies to the Russian Federation. At the end of December 2023, the Russian government issued an order allowing domestic pharmaceutical companies to produce an analog of this drug for a year without the consent of the patent owner. Subsequently, the Cabinet extended this permit until the end of 2025.
At the same time, sales of the Ozempik itself from the Danish Novo Nordisk decreased, but did not stop. In the first nine months of this year, the volume of its sales in pharmacies amounted to 8.5 thousand packages worth 166.8 million rubles, according to DSM Group data. The tablet form of the drug under the Rebelsas brand from the European pharmaceutical company over the same period of time, pharmacies sold 2.5 thousand packages worth 39.4 million rubles. We are talking about the "gray" supply of these drugs, Nikolai Bespalov believes.
Novo Nordisk does not control the import of products through unofficial supply channels or for personal use, nor does it monitor the release of such batches of medicines into civilian circulation, its representative told Izvestia. The pharmaceutical company supplies the market with insulins produced at a factory in Russia, he recalled.
Why is the interest in drugs increasing?
The increase in sales of Ozempika analogues is also confirmed by participants in the pharmacy market. Through the service Megapteka.ru In January – September, 42.9 thousand packages of drugs were sold, which is almost three times more than in the same period of 2024, Dmitry Chirkov, CEO of this company, told Izvestia. In Zdravcity (part of the Protek Group of Companies), sales of semaglutide—based medicines in nine months exceeded last year's figure by more than 3.5 times in both money and units - more than 110 thousand packages, Evgeny Ruzheynikov, CEO of this company, told Izvestia. In the pharmacy chain 36.6, their sales increased 2.6 times, to 243.1 thousand packages, its representative said.
This dynamic is due to the increase in new domestic analogues on the Russian market this year, Dmitry Chirkov explained. So, last year, only two names of products with the mentioned INN were available on Zdravcity, this year there are five brands, said Evgeny Ruzheynikov. All of them are Russian—made generics, he added.
At the beginning of October, 15 trade names of semaglutide had already been registered in Russia, according to the data from the State Register of medicines.
In early October, Promomed registered an oral form under the trademark Semaltara in dosages of 3 mg, 7 mg and 14 mg, said Kira Zaslavskaya, Director of New products at the company. According to her, the appearance of the drug in this form will allow patients to improve their adherence to therapy. She did not disclose the volume of investments in production.
In addition, Russian drugs are significantly cheaper than the Danish original, Dmitry Chirkov pointed out. In Megapteka.ru The average price of packaging has halved year—on-year, from 12.4 thousand to 6.6 thousand rubles, he added.
High demand is associated with the growing problem of obesity, said Marina Rykova, Deputy General Director of Geropharm. In five years, the incidence of Russians has increased by 52%, noted Deputy Minister of Health Evgenia Kotova on October 23.
Medicines with the active ingredient semaglutide are intended primarily for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus, Evgeny Ruzheynikov emphasized. Weight loss is not a targeted effect, but a reactive effect of drugs, he noted. The use of such drugs for weight loss is possible only after consulting with a doctor, the expert pointed out.
However, in the coming years, the trend towards the use of innovative drugs for the treatment of metabolic disorders and obesity in pharmaceutical companies is likely to increase, Marina Rykova believes. About 120 next-generation (next-in-class) drugs for the treatment of obesity are currently being developed worldwide. Geropharm plans to release more than five drugs for the treatment of obesity by 2030. This year, the company introduced a drug with the active ingredient tirzepatide, which affects not only appetite suppression, but also the most dangerous visceral fat, the top manager added.
According to forecasts by Morgan Stanley, the global market for weight loss products could reach $150 billion by 2035. By the end of 2024, the sales volume of this market amounted to about $15 billion, the investment bank estimates.
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