OBJECTIVES: Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, healthcare spending and emergency measures have been implemented to protect market access. This analysis aims to determine the impact the war has had on market access in these two markets by considering newly launched medicines, price trends, and average launch sequence before and during the war

METHODS: All branded medicines launched between 2018–23 in Ukraine and Russia with an available pricing history within GlobalData’s Price Intelligence (POLI) database were identified. The average launch sequence was based on branded medicines approved by the EMA between 2020–23 that do not require additional monitoring.

RESULTS: Between 2018–20, the number of newly launched branded medicines declined in Ukraine and Russia by 44% and 26%. In 2021, Ukraine saw a peak in the number of branded medicines launched (65) while Russia witnessed the lowest number of launched branded medicines (7). In 2022 and 2023, a combined 45 products launched in Ukraine while only 28 brands entered Russia. The average five-year (2019–24) price trend for branded medicines was 20.37% and 0.06% for Ukraine and Russia, respectively. In the average European launch sequence, Russia and Ukraine dropped 9 and 11 places accordingly after the start of the war.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite a dip in the number of products, Ukraine has continued to launch products at a similar rate to before the war while Russia’s decline in newly launched branded medicines started before the war. Prices in Russia have been stable with minimal increases while Ukraine has had to adjust prices during the war. Market access in each country has been impacted by the war as developers have been delaying the launch of newly approved products in these markets since 2022, pushing the countries much later down the European launch sequence for newly approved branded medicines.