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- Stand or fall: 1 billion was wasted on the creation of Russian Viagra from the treasury
Stand or fall: 1 billion was wasted on the creation of Russian Viagra from the treasury
About 1 billion rubles were spent from the budget on the development of a domestic impotence drug, but they did not receive any results. The project was launched 10 years ago, during which time it has increased in price by 1.6 times and has not yet been completed. The Accounting Chamber complained about this to the president and the Prosecutor General's Office (Izvestia has the document). The drug was going to be made from musk of musk deer (saber-toothed deer), for which they began to build a nursery and a laboratory. However, despite government spending, they want to transfer the rights to the drug to a private company of one of the largest players in the Russian pharmaceutical industry, Vladimir Bryntsalov. Who will be punished for this, how often Russians treat erectile dysfunction, and why the country needs domestic Viagra at all — in the Izvestia article.
Why the domestic Viagra project has not yielded results
Since 2016, a project has been underway in Russia aimed at studying the natural properties of musk musk and developing new drugs based on it. In particular, they are planned to be used to correct erectile dysfunction, improve performance, treat traumatic brain injuries and ischemic stroke (the last three drugs have not received names). It was planned to build a nursery for breeding and keeping animals in Gorno-Altaysk, as well as a laboratory in the Krasnogorsk district of the Moscow region.
Initially, both facilities were supposed to start operating in 2020, but the dates were constantly postponed. As a result, the nursery was put into operation only in June 2024, and the laboratory has not yet been completed. This was indicated by the Accounting Chamber in its report.
Also in 2025, the Scientific Center for Biomedical Technologies of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA), which is leading the construction, terminated the contract for the reconstruction of the laboratory with the previous contractor. In the same year, a contract was signed with a new contractor, who was supposed to complete the work no later than November 15, 2025. However, the work was still not carried out, the auditors noted.
In addition, the scientific center did not return the advance payment, which was not worked out by the previous contractor, in the amount of 239 million rubles and did not collect a penalty in the amount of 17 million rubles.
At the same time, according to the auditors, the key goal of the project has not been achieved — the creation of a closed cycle of production of domestic medicines from musk musk. As the test showed, the Musculiv drug for the treatment of impotence was developed using raw materials purchased on the market, and not obtained in a nursery. Clinical trials were also conducted in private medical institutions, rather than in federal centers of the FMBA.
According to the FMBA, clinical trials of the Musculiv drug were completed last year, the press service of the Accounting Chamber told Izvestia. A report has been prepared, and by October 2025, a set of documents was being prepared for submitting an application to the Ministry of Health for drug registration.
At the same time, the musk obtained in the nursery, as well as the rights to register and manufacture the Musculiv drug, are planned to be transferred to the industrial partner, Bryntsalov—A JSC. At the same time, about 1 billion rubles were allocated from the federal budget from 2017 to 2025 for the development and clinical research of the drug.
Bryntsalov-A, which plans to transfer the patent for the drug Musculiv, specializes in the production of medicines, according to Kontur Focus. The company produces about 100 drugs. Currently, 356 arbitration cases worth 2.4 billion are being considered with her participation, and the latest revenue data refers to 2021 — 1.7 billion.
For 2026, according to registration sources, the pharmaceutical company Bryntsalov-A JSC belongs to Vladimir Alekseevich Bryntsalov, an ex-State Duma deputy, billionaire and founder of the company. For a long time, he controlled the company through his own structures.
The current CEO of Bryntsalov-A JSC is Dmitry Sergeevich Noskov, but as of 2026, Vladimir Bryntsalov remains the owner as the main shareholder.
In total, 2.4 billion rubles have been allocated for the project, including the construction of a nursery and laboratory, as well as the maintenance of musk deer, 1.6 times more than the initial estimate.
The scientific center also changed the project plan and decided to develop three biologically active additives (dietary supplements) instead of three medicines.
What will be the consequences
The Center, together with the FMBA, reviewed the plans for the nursery. As a result, according to the joint venture, in 2029, musk production will be twice as low as the initial estimate, and the musk deer population will be reduced to 250 individuals instead of 300.
The auditors emphasize that the cost of 1 g of musk in 2024 amounted to 145 thousand rubles. By 2029, it is planned to reduce it to 23 thousand per gram, but this is almost five times higher than the market price - 4.8—5.5 thousand per 1 g.
In fact, in 2024, 128 g of musk was produced with a plan of 600 g, which is 79% less than the plan, according to the joint venture report.
"As a result of the audit, the Accounting Chamber sent a report to the head of state, in which it stated the inefficient expenditure of federal budget funds allocated for the implementation of the project," said Sergey Mammadov, the auditor of the Joint Venture.
The Accounting Chamber also appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to take measures to address the violations.
Additionally, the auditors proposed to the management of the FMBA of Russia to produce the Musculiv drug by April 30, 2026 without transferring the rights of Bryntsalov-A JSC. In addition, they recommended checking the violations, bringing the guilty officials to justice and collecting penalties from contractors for delay.
Izvestia sent a request to the Prosecutor General's Office, the FMBA and JSC Bryntsalov-A.
Why do we need domestic Viagra?
Musk musk, which is listed as the basis of the developed drug "Musculiv", is more similar in its effect to dietary supplements than medicine. Therefore, it is difficult to call it an alternative for such drugs as Viagra and its analogues, explained Professor, immunologist Andrey Prodeus to Izvestia.
— This remedy may even demonstrate effectiveness, since in 30% of cases erectile dysfunction is associated with psychological factors and even a placebo can help with it. Theoretically, such biologically active substances can have a certain effect. But so far we do not know whether it increases, for example, testosterone levels or can serve as a natural analogue of male hormones," said Andrey Prodeus. — If they have spent money on its development, they should publish a clinical trial with this data. A medical drug should have an understandable mechanism of action. However, such products are usually registered as dietary supplements, because medicines are subject to much stricter requirements, but this narrows the market.
Musk musk, the secret of the deer's scent gland, contains biologically active substances that increase stress tolerance and help the body cope with stress, said Ekaterina Makarova, a urologist and sexologist. According to her, since ancient times, natural stimulants such as ginseng or musk have been used to support erectile function, but their effect is limited and auxiliary.
As the doctor noted, biogenic stimulants can be useful for fatigue or a temporary decrease in body resources, but they do not replace treatment. In case of diagnosed erectile dysfunction or age-related androgen deficiency, musk musk can only be used as part of complex therapy and as prescribed by a doctor.
Vladislav Gladyshev, a urologist and andrologist, added that natural remedies cannot compete with synthetic drugs due to the inability to accurately calculate the dosage. After the discovery of sildenafil, natural remedies faded into the background, since there are already effective medicines on the market, while dietary supplements are more often chosen by those who are not ready to consult a doctor.
At the same time, according to Igor Shkradyuk, coordinator of the industrial greening program at the Wildlife Conservation Center, obtaining musk from wild musk deer can also harm nature. The nursery is able to solve this problem, however, it must be borne in mind that the properties of substances from the body of domestic artiodactyls and those living in natural conditions can vary greatly.
How has the demand for impotence drugs changed?
From January to November 2025, 14 million packages of domestic drugs for improving potency worth more than 9.2 billion rubles were sold in Russia, said Nikolai Bespalov, Director of Development at RNC Pharma. According to him, in 11 months sales increased by more than 7% in units and by almost 12% in rubles compared to the same period in 2024. Customers also began to choose packages with a large number of tablets more often — an average of 14 pieces.
Sildenafil and tadalafil—based drugs form almost the entire market, accounting for about 96% of sales. 46 manufacturers of medicines are represented in retail. After the departure of Viagra and Cialis, Russian companies took the leading positions, providing about 75% of sales in money and 84% in packages.
At the same time, the production of drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in January – November 2025 decreased by 19% to 9.8 million packages. According to the expert, this decrease is of a technical nature and is related to the specifics of production cycle planning.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
