Medical device and pharmaceutical companies are taking a similar approach to global retailers by withdrawing their activities from Russia where possible, however they continue to maintain sales and deliveries of certain medical devices and pharmaceuticals as it would be detrimental to the health of Russian citizens, and therefore unethical to do otherwise, observes GlobalData, the leading data and analytics company.

Many medical companies have already suspended activities that they consider to be non-essential or non-urgent in Russia, and many others have paused or delayed the start of clinical trials. AbbVie has halted operations in Russia related to medical aesthetics, and it is also delaying the start of clinical trials for new products. Similarly, Pfizer, Bayer, and Sanofi have announced that they will pause new investments and other developments in Russia.

The halting of activities from medical and pharmaceutical companies means that some healthcare facilities may not receive certain devices or supplies regularly used in hospitals or clinics. As a result, hospitals in Russia will have daily shortages of imported materials. In addition, because most medical devices in Russia are imported from the US and Europe, the medical devices sector in Russia is expected to contract by 34%.

Alexandra Murdoch, Medical Device Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Medical companies are subject to the same public sentiment about the Russia-Ukraine crisis as any other businesses are however, they must respond in an ethical way as preventing individuals from accessing potentially life-saving medical supplies would put their lives at risk. Whether medical device companies have halted or continued their business activities in Russia, many have decided to donate money or supplies to support Ukraine. Supplying Ukraine with additional medical, pharmaceutical, or financial supports while simultaneously not depriving Russia of their necessary medical needs seems to be the overwhelming response among these companies.”

The pause of various activities in Russia in addition to the ongoing support to Ukraine, could mean that many of these medical device and pharmaceutical companies will lose revenue during and after the Russia-Ukraine war. For Russians, they could see a continued loss in non-essential medical services and medications, as well as a shortage of supplies in healthcare facilities.