Essential medicines keep flowing to Russia, but sanctions could severely effect health

Dozens of drug companies have promised to keep sending essential medicines to Russia, despite announcing varying degrees of withdrawal from the Russian market, amid unprecedented sanctions being imposed on the country in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

“We cannot stop the flow of our medicines to Russia,” Pfizer’s chief executive, Albert Bourla, told Yahoo Finance. “Always with sanctions, medicines are excluded. Ending delivery of medicines, including cancer or cardiovascular therapies, would cause significant patient suffering and potential loss of life.”

Like many companies Pfizer has chosen other ways to disengage from Russia. It will stop conducting new clinical trials there, although existing studies will continue. And the company …