Parts of Russia are running out of a drug that is crucial for pregnant women with this blood disorder

Several regions across Russia have reported dwindling supplies of anti-Rh immunoglobulin — a drug crucial for pregnant women whose red blood cell surfaces lack a specific protein.

Health officials have confirmed medication shortages and sometimes even outages in the Penza, Yaroslavl, Krasnoyarsk, and Crimea regions. Meanwhile, Moscow’s Health Department has assured the public that the city’s stockpile is “sufficient and procurement is ongoing,” but major pharmacy chains throughout the capital say the drug is currently unavailable.

Russia’s federal healthcare watchdog, Roszdravnadzor, told the newspaper Kommersant that more than 86,000 packages of anti-Rh immunoglobulin have entered circulation since the start of the year. More than half of that product supposedly remains in stock, with another 90,000 additional packages due for release before the end of the year. However, the agency has not clarified which version of anti-Rh immunoglobulin it is counting. Four anti-Rh immunoglobulin drugs are registered in Russia; three are manufactured abroad, and one is made in the Ivanovo region.