Ukraine Pharmaceutical Market Sees Strong Growth in January 2024

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The Ukrainian pharmaceutical market started 2024 with confident growth, according to new market analysis based on PharmXplorer data from Proxima Research.

Retail pharmacy sales showed 25% value growth and 10% volume growth year-over-year compared to January 2023 results across the government controlled territory.

Drivers of Expansion

The market expansion came primarily from:

  • Increased consumption of packaged medicines
  • Shift towards more expensive medication purchases

Antibiotics Lead Therapeutic Growth

Among World Health Organization Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification level two groups, antibiotics showed the highest sales increases in January 2024.

Dietary Supplements See Dynamic Growth

Within total pharmacy category results, dietary supplements grew most actively, reaching an 11.4% sales share in January 2024. This represented close to 51% year-on-year growth compared to January 2023.

These initial figures indicate confident progress in Ukraine’s domestic pharmaceutical market, despite ongoing challenges. Key categories like antibiotics and supplements are demonstrating robust expansion.

Top Pharmaceutical Companies Maintain Dominance in Ukraine

The table below shows the complete top 10 marketing organizations by volume of pharmacy medicine and supplement sales in January 2024, along with their previous year rankings:

Top 10 Pharmaceutical Companies In Ukraine by January 2024 Pharmacy Sales Volume

Marketing Organization 2023 Rank 2024 Rank
Farmak (Ukraine) 1 1
Darnitsa (Ukraine) 2 2
Arterium Corporation 6 3
Teva (Israel) 3 4
Kyiv Vitamin Plant 5 5
Acino (Switzerland) 4 6
KRKA (Slovenia) 8 7
Berlin-Chemie (Germany) 7 8
Sanofi (France) 9 9
Delta Medical (Switzerland) 10 10

Established domestic giants Farmak and Darnitsa maintained the top 2 spots. Arterium Corporation reached its highest ranking in 3 years, demonstrating rising competitiveness. The consistency points to marketing leaders’ strong and trusted market footholds.

Best-Selling Medicines in Ukraine Show Brand Loyalty

Ukrainian consumers showed high brand loyalty, as the top medicine brands by pharmacy sales volume remained largely the same:

Top 10 Medicine Brands in Ukraine by January 2024 Pharmacy Sales Volume

Brand 2023 Rank 2024 Rank
Nurofen 2 1
Nimesil 1 2
Xarelto 3 3
Nalbuphine 16 4
Triplixam 7 5
Spazmalgon 4 6
Sinupret 6 7
Citramon 9 8
Pulmicort 9 9
Eucazoline 8 10

Nurofen overtook Nimesil for the top position. The rest retained previous rankings despite market growth and demand.

Large Distributors Control “Pharmacy Basket” Supplies

The table below shows the 5 distributors controlling “pharmacy basket” product supply shares:

Table 4. Top 5 Distributors by 2024 “Pharmacy Basket” Supply Share

Distributor 2024 Share 2023 Share 2022 Share
BaDM (Dnipro) 44% 40% 37%
Optima-Pharm (Kyiv) 41% 39% 42%
Venta (Dnipro) 2.7% 6,1% 7.8%
Delta Medical 1.8% 1.4% 1.9%
M.T.K. Medical Center (Kyiv) 1.4% 1.5% 1.7%

BaDM, established in 1994, leads with 44% market control. Long-standing local companies Optima-Pharm since 1994 and Venta since 1995 followed in supply dominance, demonstrating domestic supply chain maturity.  Delta Medical has likewise expanded its distribution capacity and is servicing over 11k pharmacies in Ukraine.

The sector’s steady growth and entrenched players point to continued Ukrainian patient access despite challenges. Key manufacturers and distributors seem well-positioned going forward.

About the Author

Author Photo

Tetiana Melnyk is a healthcare journalist at Mister Blister specializing in legal and regulatory analysis of Ukraine's healthcare sector. A medical graduate of Vinnitsa National University, Tetiana leverages her background as a practicing physician to provide insightful, critically-examined coverage. Her expertise stems from hands-on clinical work across Kyiv and medical research experience.

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