Over the past year, the demand for antibiotics in Kazakhstan has significantly decreased, showing a decrease of 47.7%. The domestic market notes the lowest level of sales of antibacterial drugs over the past few years, with a total use of about 40 tons, El.kz reports, citing EnergyProm.
The decrease in domestic consumption led to a decrease in the export of antibiotics to Kazakhstan by international suppliers. Last year, the volume of deliveries fell by half, from 62.4 to 28.9 tons. China remains the main exporter of antibiotics to Kazakhstan, with a share of 59.5% in 2023. India and Russia rank second and third, respectively, in the list of major exporters.
In 2023, along with a decrease in demand and imports, there was a stagnation in the domestic production of antibiotics. According to the Bureau of National Statistics of the ASP&D of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakh pharmaceutical plants produced 12.3 tons of antibiotics, which is 12.6% less than in the previous year. The share of domestic production in the total consumption of antibiotics is only 29.9%.
Interestingly, the decline in antibiotic consumption comes amid an increase in the incidence of cold-related infections. According to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, there was also a record level of measles incidence in the history of Kazakhstan. At the same time, after 2022, there has been a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases - the incidence rate has decreased by 36.5 times.
These data may only partially reflect the impact on antibiotic demand. There are many other diseases that can be treated with antibiotics, and there are many cases of respiratory tract infections that do not require antibiotics.