Expanding Russian Interest in Antidepressants and Anxiety Medications
In Russia, a significant surge has been observed in the sales of depression and anxiety medications, according to data from the first half of 2025. Over 9.3 million packs were sold, totalling approximately 4.6 billion rubles, with the highest consumption recorded in Moscow, the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, and the Krasnodar region.
This trend is primarily driven by a rising prevalence of mental health disorders, such as major depressive disorder and anxiety, combined with growing patient awareness and acceptance of pharmacological treatments. Psychiatrist, narcologist, and psychotherapist Sergei Kuznetsov stated that at least 25-30% of the Russian population has some form of anxiety disorder.
Kuznetsov also reported an increase in cases of anxiety disorders among patients, as well as an increase in clinic visits related to the use of tranquillizers, which can cause dependence. He mentioned an increase in patient consultations with complaints of anxiety, sleep disturbances, nightmares, panic attacks, decreased libido, and depression.
RNC Pharma published a study showing an increase in demand for depression and anxiety medications in Russia during the first half of 2025. More patients seek medication-based treatments as mental health awareness improves, increasing demand for drugs such as bupropion hydrochloride Extended-Release (ER) tablets, which are used for depression and sometimes for smoking cessation.
The market for depression and anxiety medications like bupropion ER is expected to grow annually by 4.7% globally, indicating a likely similar upward trend in Russia given parallels in mental health conditions and treatment uptake. As part of emerging markets, Russia is included in projections for increasing sales of such medications over the coming years, driven by government programs and improved healthcare access.
However, detailed Russian-specific sales figures and localized causative analyses remain limited in publicly available 2025 data. Regions with the lowest consumption of anxiolytics are the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Republic of Tuva, and Chukotka, where fewer than 6,000 packs were sold.
Meanwhile, measles cases are on the rise in Russia, with the highest rates observed in Rostov and Dagestan. As reported by Yuga.ru, there has been an increase in demand for contraceptive pills in Russia, particularly in Chechnya.
The effects of this trend include expanding pharmaceutical markets and greater healthcare resource allocation to mental health issues. However, the increased demand for mental health treatments may also place more demand on healthcare infrastructure, potentially improving population mental health outcomes over time.
In summary, the increase in medication sales is largely due to the escalating burden of untreated or undertreated mental health conditions in Russia, improved access to and acceptance of pharmacotherapy, and pharmaceutical market growth in the region. Continued monitoring of epidemiological and market reports will clarify these ongoing trends.
[1] RNC Pharma, Global Market Insights, Inc., 2021. [2] World Health Organization, 2021. [3] World Happiness Report, 2021.
- The surge in depression and anxiety medication sales observed in Russia can be attributed to a growing prevalence of mental health disorders, increased patient awareness, and acceptance of pharmacological treatments, as well as the expansion of the pharmaceutical market in the region.
- The rising demand for mental health treatments in Russia, such as bupropion hydrochloride ER tablets, is largely driven by the growing burden of untreated or undertreated mental health conditions, improved access to pharmacotherapy, and the anticipated growth of the pharmaceutical market, which may necessitate further investment in healthcare infrastructure to support population mental health outcomes.
