Problems with dental preparations are observed in Russia

In Russian dental clinics, problems arose with the purchase of “Ubistesin” – a popular drug for local anesthesia. This is reported by RBC. Supply disruptions began in March of last year after the manufacturer of the anesthetic – the American company 3M – announced its withdrawal from the Russian market due to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.

According to the interlocutors of the publication, “Ubystezin” actually does not exist, and its Russian analogues are significantly worse in terms of effectiveness. “In the case of ubistezin, only one carpule of the drug was required to achieve the required effect. Now we have to inject three or four carpules, which is a certain inconvenience for the patient and the doctor,” said Luiza Avtandylyan, the founder of the Smilestudio clinic.

According to the analytical company RNC Pharma, in 2022, 94 thousand packages of ubistezin were shipped to the Russian market, which is 70% less than a year earlier.

Representatives of Russian dental clinics also reported delays in deliveries of the German anesthetic ultracaine from the Sanofi Aventis company. In addition, according to them, supplies of “Vytremer” cement for the treatment of children’s teeth have been discontinued. It has no analogues on the Russian market now.

At the same time, prices for drugs available for purchase have risen sharply, and their delivery time has increased by two or three times, writes RBC.

Difficulties are also observed with the purchase of dental equipment — burs and cutters. In Russia, there are very few manufacturers that manufacture rotating instruments — dental burs, the publication’s interlocutors in dental clinics said. Import manufacturers deliver goods to Russia with long deadlines and not the entire line due to existing logistics problems caused by sanctions.

Dentists believe that Russian manufacturers will not be able to cover the needs of the market due to the high technology of the industry. If supplies suddenly stop, including parallel imports, many positions will be replaced by nothing, dentists say.

According to the estimates of large distributors, about 35–40 thousand types of drugs and materials were imported into Russia. And domestic production can close about 6 thousand positions – this is “a drop in the ocean”, said one of the interlocutors of RBC.