Delhi is not waiting: India wants to increase the supply of medicines to Russia

India wants to increase the supply of its medicines to the Russian market in 2026. In particular, we are talking about drugs to combat depression, Izvestia found out. Experts believe that Indian drugs have every chance to replace the supply of Western medicines that do not have Russian analogues. In general, New Delhi is interested in expanding cooperation with Moscow in the pharmaceutical sector. This also applies to cancer vaccines and nuclear medicine.

India to increase exports of medicines to Russia

New names of Indian medicines may appear in Russian pharmacies in 2026, Divesh Kumar, Honorary representative of the Council for the Promotion of Pharmaceutical Exports of the Republic, told Izvestia.

— We sell medicines in large volumes to different countries of the world. Several pharmaceutical companies are already supplying antidepressants to Russia, but they will start doing so in large quantities next year. I assure you that in 2026 you will see more Indian medicines in Russian pharmacies," says Divesh Kumar.

He stressed that India manufactures medicines for many Western brands under special contracts. So the country has all the necessary modern technologies, but the competitive advantage of Indian medicines is a more affordable price. In addition, some Indian companies are already localizing their production in Russian cities, in particular in Murmansk, and several companies are exploring Sakhalin and Krasnodar.

India is one of the largest importers of medicines to the Russian market. The country is competing with Germany in terms of supply volume, explains Nikolay Bespalov, Director of Development at RNC Rhagma, an analytical company. He recalled that for a long time the Indian pharmaceutical industry, in relation to Russia, was focused on generics of relatively cheap drugs, "but they supply them in a large range and quantity."

— This is an important element of the stability of the Russian pharmaceutical market and maintaining competition in it. Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers may well increase the volume and list of those products that they supply — technically they have everything for this," the expert added.

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The problem is related to the late conclusion of auctions or incorrect accounting of patients, experts say.

Indian medicines have every chance to replace the supply of Western medicines that do not have Russian analogues, Bespalov says. But manufacturers will have to face quite intense competition.

— India can compete quite effectively on price due to the fact that the cost of production for it is lower than for Western countries. But marketing-related factors will come into play. Well, there are cases of supply of substandard drugs from India, which is reflected and will still affect the reputation of local manufacturers. To solve this problem, India needs to tighten controls at different stages of production," the expert continued.

As for the same antidepressants, according to Bespalov, Russians have a fairly high loyalty to European brands: "We record such situations when a Western drug leaves the market, patients are transferred to alternatives, but if the original medicine returns, patients switch to the usual therapy."

How many medicines does New Delhi supply?

In 2023, India became the largest foreign supplier of medicines to the Russian market, the media reported earlier. At that time, the country received 293.9 million packages of medicines from the republic. According to the Indian government, the United States accounts for just over a third of its pharmaceutical exports. Sales of Indian medicines in the American market in the 2025/26 fiscal year (which began on April 1) increased by 20% to about $10.5 billion. Great Britain is in second place, Brazil is in third place. Exports to the Netherlands and Russia in the current fiscal year amounted to $616 million and $577 million, respectively.

Pharmaceutical supplies are an important component for the Indian economy. In difficult conditions in the international arena, the country is trying to diversify its supply chains. And this is despite the fact that India's pharmaceutical industry is exempt from the 50 percent duties imposed on the country by the Donald Trump administration.

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This will help the country cope with the acute shortage of medicines.

According to the RNC Pharma analytical company, shipments of medicines from India to Russia in January–August 2025 amounted to 196.3 million packages, in 2024 — 284.7 million, in 2023 — 285.9 million, in 2022 — 285.6 million. In January–August 2025, compared to the same period last year, the volume increased by almost 7%.

This year, Indian products accounted for about 5.3% of the natural and about 3.2% of the monetary market in the Russian market. But we are talking about drugs that are produced in the republic. A number of Indian companies are located in the Russian Federation. Accordingly, part of the range of such companies is produced in our country, and statistically it is classified as Russian drugs.

India to strengthen cooperation with Russia in medicine

According to Rajesh Kumar Kotech, Secretary of the Ministry of AYUSH, which is responsible for the development of education, research and dissemination of traditional medicine systems in India, there are good prospects for cooperation between the regions of the Russian Federation and the republic. At the same time, the Indian authorities are particularly interested in cooperation with large centers such as Tatarstan.

— Indian companies will definitely invest in medicine in the Russian Federation. Another opportunity for collaboration is to work together in the field of research, which will have a global impact on the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, we can work on disease prevention, and Indian traditional medicine works well in this regard, and people are interested in this," he stressed.

In addition, the ministry expressed interest in working with Russia on the development of cancer drugs. At the end of September, it became known that three leading Russian scientific institutes had submitted documents to the Ministry of Health to launch the production of the country's first personalized melanoma vaccines. Nicaragua will participate in clinical trials of the vaccine. Indonesia has also shown interest in it. India, in turn, produces about half of the total amount of vaccines used in the world.

New Delhi can also develop cooperation in the field of nuclear medicine. Russia, for example, is already implementing similar projects with Bolivia and is preparing to launch them in Nicaragua.

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— India and Russia have close ties, we can consider the possibilities of cooperation in this field (nuclear medicine. — Izvestia), — said Rajesh Kumar Kotecha.

Therapeutic and diagnostic methods are concentrated in nuclear medicine, each of them complements each other, explains Emina Hajiyeva, Head of the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology at the Hadassah Clinic. Each of these methods uses isotopes, radioactive substances that are injected into patients. In some cases, radiopharmaceuticals are more effective than chemotherapy, the expert says. For example, in the treatment of thyroid cancer, the approach using such drugs is the only line of therapy that guarantees a positive outcome.

— All the advanced radiopharmaceuticals that are currently in use are manufactured in our country. Most of the production of such drugs for the whole world takes place in Russia. We have one of the best structures in terms of radiochemical purity," Hajiyeva said.

She stressed that nuclear medicine is currently one of the most advanced areas in Russia. The treatment we provide corresponds to all international studies. This is due not only to scientific research, but also to the fact that we have resources, as well as enough minerals.