Prospects for expanding the range of medicinal products based on velvet antlers

Reindeer antlers (maral, bison, spotted deer) have long been used in folk and official medicine in the world. Despite a significant number of studies of antlers as sources of biologically active substances (BAS), the study of their synergistic properties and diverse current aspects of application, the range of the raw material and products in the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine requires a more detailed study. Aim. To determine the feasibility of creating new medicines from antler BAS by analyzing the range of the medicinal raw material, medicines, dietary supplements and other pharmacy products based on antlers in the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine. Materials and methods. The analysis of the range of medicines and dietary supplements was carried out based on data from the State Register of Medicines of Ukraine, the electronic resource Compendium.online, according to the ATC classification system as of January – February, 2025. Information on retail prices was obtained from the online service www.tabletki.ua and available online marketplaces. The methods of information and bibliographic search, systematization, analysis and generalization, comparative, marketing, content analysis and graphic were used in the work. Results. Based on the results of the study, it was determined that only one product name with the antler raw material was registered as a medicinal product – “Pantocrin”, liquid extract, 50 ml, manufactured by Ternopharm (Ukraine). Among the entire product range, the share of dietary supplements is almost 93 %. The main suppliers of these products are foreign manufacturers from China and the USA, which total share is 63.6 %, domestic manufacturers account for 25 % of the range. It has been found that the domestic pharmaceutical market contains the raw material of antlers (slices, powder), dry and liquid extracts, liquid dosage forms (tinctures, drops, elixirs), tablets, pills, capsules, creams, cream-balms, gels, sprays and teas. Conclusions. The results obtained have shown the prospects of developing new domestic complex and combined medicines, which include BAS of antlers. However, it is necessary to take into account possible contraindications to their use.