The impact of sanctions on the structure of foreign trade in medical devices: Evidence from the medical consumables market

Subject. The article investigates the level of health care and medical industry development in Russia. Objectives. The aim is to assess the impact of sanctions on the structure of foreign trade in medical devices, analysis of import, export and production of medical syringes in Russia for the period 2013–2023. Methods. The study employs the content analysis, comparative analysis. Results. The study found that the volume of consumption of disposable syringes changed slightly, but the sanctions had an impact on the structure of imports. China increased its market share by 32% due to a decrease in supplies from Germany, other European countries, and the United States. The cost structure of imports differs from the structure in physical terms: only three largest manufacturers in Germany import 80 % of needles to Russia. Negative balance of foreign trade is observed - the volume of syringe exports from Russia is only 2% of imports. The volume of disposable syringe production in Russia in 2023 decreased by 26% (to 724 million units). Conclusions. The development of foreign trade in medical devices is hindered by such factors as the raw material problem and imbalance of tax benefits and support measures. To increase the sustainability of the Russian medical industry, it is necessary to localize raw materials and create a register of medical polymers.