Russian Internet users are actively discussing that, allegedly due to changes in laws, from September 1, absolutely all medications can be purchased in pharmacies in the Russian Federation only with a doctor’s prescription. We decided to check what the new rules actually say.

The media writes that from September 1, it will be possible to buy medicines only with a doctor’s prescription, for example, “Moskovsky Komsomolets"("From September 1, pharmacies will sell medicines strictly according to prescriptions: everything will become stricter"), "New news"(You can't buy without a prescription: from September 1, pharmacies will start dispensing medicines in a new way") and Ura.ru (“The sale of medicines without a prescription will be banned in Tyumen”). Regional public pages report a rush in pharmacies: for example, the Telegram channel “Bryansk News” tells, that “panic has already begun to appear among the population, some even rushed to buy drugs, forgetting about the existing expiration dates.” In a similar way, judging by local channels, people behave in Kamchatka and in Krasnodar edge. "Moscow FM" quotes words of an unnamed pharmacist from a capital pharmacy: “There will be not just scandals, there will be something. We’ve all been through this before during Covid, but here everything will get tougher. Even the program will not allow you to break this check. Those who are already aware have already bought drugs today for 10,000 - 20,000 rubles in advance.” Internet users also panicking: “Even [if] we have a toothache or a stomach ache, radiculitis, we somehow go straight to the pharmacy, and now we need to get an appointment, and you know that in our clinics, there are no appointments, there is no queue or you can’t get in at all, there is paperwork and so on at the doctors, and now this, but you understand what this threatens for us.”

From September 1, 2023, changes to the rules for the sale of prescription drugs, provided for by Resolution Government of the Russian Federation No. 468 of March 24, 2023. This resolution amends another document of the Cabinet of Ministers entitled “On approval of the regulations on the system for monitoring the movement of medicinal products for medical use” (2018). However, contrary to the fears of Internet users, only prescription drugs will be subject to regulation (as before), and not all, as was written in some media, social networks and messenger mailings.

Moreover, of the total volume of prescription drugs, changes will touch only three groups medications:

subject to subject-quantitative accounting (PKU). Complete list of such drugs fixed by order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation - for example, this includes codeine, cocaine, morphine, ketamine, oxycodone, ephedrine, etc.;
medications dispensed remotely according to prescriptions;
medicines, the full or partial cost of which is reimbursed by the state.

When dispensing drugs from these categories, the pharmacy will is obliged to provide the prescription details (number, series and date of issue) to the monitoring system.

However, even before the introduction of the new rules, pharmacies collected such information about the prescription and submitted reports on it. Roszdravnadzor explains: “Contrary to what is written in the media and social networks, changes in the rules for the withdrawal of prescription drugs from circulation when they are sold in pharmacies will not affect their availability to patients. Moreover, no “new” or “special” forms of recipes will be required for this.” Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation emphasizesthat the changes are of a technical nature and will mainly affect the work of pharmacies, and not the availability of drugs for citizens. How explains department, changes are primarily needed to reduce the risk of abuse in the sale of potent drugs. Physician-therapist and popularizer of evidence-based medicine Alexey Vodovozov comments changes: “The drugs that are subject to PKU are all prescription drugs, and “heavy” ones, and obviously not for patient use; access to them was only possible with a doctor’s prescription, and will remain so. And that's right."

In addition, the most popular drugs, in principle, are not prescription drugs. List of best-selling drugs in 2022 heads Nurofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory preparation with analgesic and antipyretic effects. “Nurofen” is a trade name, the main active ingredient in it is ibuprofen, which is not a prescription drug and will be sold after September 1 in the same way as before. In second place in the sales leaders is the nasal congestion spray “Snoop” with the active ingredient xylometazoline, which also not applicable to the group of prescription drugs. In third place in popularity is Arbidol (umifenovir), an antiviral drug with unproven efficiency, which also available over the counter. Most of the usual medicines for relieving pain, reducing fever or relieving symptoms of colds are not classified as prescription drugs in principle, and the new rules will not affect them.

Thus, the rules for the dispensing of prescription drugs will indeed change, but this will affect only certain groups of drugs - those subject to subject-quantitative accounting, those dispensed remotely, as well as drugs whose cost is fully or partially reimbursed by the state. Those medications that are currently sold without a prescription will be freely available for purchase after September 1. Despite panic mailings and alarming posts on social networks, there is no reason to run to pharmacies and buy all kinds of drugs for months in advance.

Cover image: Flickr – Photobank Moscow-Live