OREANDA-NEWS Sales of vitamin D in Russia for the first eight months of 2023 decreased by 7% compared to the same period last year after a prolonged increase, this happened, among other things, against the background of the end of the coronavirus pandemic, follows from the data of the DSM Group, which was reviewed by RIA Novosti.

It is noted that the demand for vitamin D in the form of a drug and in the form of dietary supplements has increased significantly from 2019 to 2022. So, in 2019, more than 12 million packages were sold, and in 2022 - almost 27 million. At the same time, sales in rubles increased more than three times over the same period (in 2019, vitamin D was sold by 3.2 billion rubles, and in 2022 - by 9.9 billion).

"In the first eight months of 2023, relative to the same period last year, the group has seen a decrease (in sales - ed.) by 7% in packages and rubles," the study says.

DSM Group CEO Sergey Shulyak attributes this to the end of the coronavirus pandemic, which "spurred demand for drugs traditionally considered effective in infectious diseases." According to him, a more significant drop in sales of this vitamin in the dietary supplements group (minus 13% and minus 4%, respectively) can be explained by the fact that the demand for dietary supplements was largely due to consumers who independently decided to use it as a preventive measure, while the vitamin D drug is more often prescribed by doctors.

At the same time, Director of the Strategic Research Department Yulia Nechaeva also stressed that "covid trends" are becoming less pronounced, but traditionally the demand for vitamin D increases with the onset of the autumn-winter season.

"Over the past five years, August has accounted for an average of 5.7% of all vitamin D sales in packages (in rubles - 5.6%). September accounts for 7.4% in packages and 7.5% in rubles, and interest in vitamin D continues to grow, peaking in December (12.2% in packages and 12.0% in rubles). We assume that similar dynamics will be observed this year," she predicts.