Which medicine groups are in demand in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan? An import-data analysis
UN Comtrade and IQVIA data show general prescription medicines at the core of demand in all three countries; oncology stands out by value only in Kazakhstan.
Abstract
This study examines which medicine groups drive demand in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, and where cancer medicines fit in. In all three countries the core of demand is general prescription medicines, antibiotics and vitamins. Oncology is not at the centre of demand by volume. By value it ranks high only in Kazakhstan, through the state procurement channel. In Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan it looks more like an area of unmet need than a large measurable market [1][3].
Method
Medicine imports into the three countries for 2023–2025 were analysed using UN Comtrade data by Harmonized System (HS) code, as reported by the importing countries [1]. Market size, sales channels and top-selling brands come from IQVIA's public Eurasia data of April 2026 [3]. Türkiye's pharmaceutical exports come from İEİS reports [2]. An important caveat: cancer medicines have no customs code of their own. Most monoclonal antibodies fall under HS 300215, but that code also covers immunology and rare-disease biologics, so 300215 was used only as a rough upper-bound indicator.
Findings: Kazakhstan
Medicine imports in 2024 were $2.343 billion, of which $104.5 million (4.5%) came from Türkiye. In 2025 the total rose to $2.712 billion and imports from Türkiye to $140.1 million [1]. General prescription medicines (HS 300490) make up 54.5% of imports. Group 300215, which includes monoclonal antibodies, accounts for $270.4 million, or 11.5% of imports. Its value is about $2,372 per kilogram, against about $55 per kilogram for general medicines [1]. IQVIA puts the market at $2.411 billion, 41% of it through the state channel. Three of the ten best-selling brands are cancer medicines (pembrolizumab, osimertinib, ruxolitinib), with a combined share of 2.85%, all sold through the state channel. In retail, antibiotics, cardiovascular and digestive medicines lead [3].
Findings: Azerbaijan
Medicine imports in 2024 were $507.6 million, and Türkiye was the largest supplier with $99.1 million (19.5%). In 2025 Türkiye's share rose to 21.0% ($110.8 million) [1]. General prescription medicines make up 72.4% of imports, and 29.6% of antibiotic imports come from Türkiye. Group 300215 is only $6.4 million (1.3%) [1]. IQVIA, which measures pharmacy sales only, puts the market at $730 million. Six of the ten best-selling brands are cardiovascular and antithrombotic medicines, and there is no cancer medicine in the top ten. Four of the ten largest companies are Turkish: Gen, Nobel, Vefa and Abdi İbrahim (8.74% combined) [3]. Cancer medicines are also supplied through state programmes [4], but the size of that channel could not be measured with verifiable data.
Findings: Uzbekistan
Medicine imports in 2024 were $1.677 billion. Imports from Türkiye were $41.0 million (2.4%), down from $76.0 million (4.7%) in 2023 [1]. General prescription medicines make up 66.5% of imports and antibiotics 8.8% ($148.3 million). Group 300215 is only $11.7 million (0.7%) [1]. IQVIA puts the market at $2.428 billion; 96% of sales go through pharmacies, and the market grew 26% in local currency. There is no cancer medicine in the top ten brands [3]. There are signs of unmet need in oncology: of 218 antitumour medicines used in 2010–2022, supply of 194 was too irregular to estimate need [5]. Oncology receives 2.4–4% of the Ministry of Health budget, or $16.1 million in 2025 [6].
Türkiye's position
Türkiye's pharmaceutical exports were $2.296 billion in 2024 and $2.508 billion in 2025 [2]. By Türkiye's own data, the three countries took 5.2% of its pharmaceutical exports in 2024 and 5.8% in 2025 [1]. Türkiye's exports to them are mostly general prescription medicines and antibiotics. In 2025 Türkiye exported $748.5 million of group 300215 products worldwide, but almost none to these three countries [1]. On its own this does not prove demand; whether the products are registered in these countries has to be assessed separately.
Discussion: where does oncology stand?
By volume, oncology is not at the centre of demand in any of the three countries; in Kazakhstan group 300215 is only about 0.3% of import weight [1]. By value it holds a clear place in Kazakhstan's state channel [1][3]. There is no verified evidence of this in Azerbaijan. In Uzbekistan, access problems stand out more than a measurable market [3][5][6]. For context, WHO data show that more than half of deaths are due to cardiovascular disease (Kazakhstan 50%, Azerbaijan 52%, Uzbekistan 58%), while cancer accounts for 18%, 16% and 8% respectively [7]. These shares are context, not demand.
Limitations
Customs codes are no substitute for therapeutic (ATC) classification. Import data do not capture local production. IQVIA's public data have no therapeutic-group breakdown and, for Azerbaijan, cover pharmacy sales only. For none of the three countries could a current market share by therapeutic group be verified from public sources. Model estimates presenting oncology as Azerbaijan's "largest segment" were not used, because their scale does not match official import data or IQVIA measurements [1][3][4].
Conclusion
The data show that the base of demand in the region is general prescription medicines, antibiotics and cardiovascular medicines. Türkiye's strongest market is Azerbaijan, where it is the largest supplier. Oncology is a high-value niche: tied to state procurement in Kazakhstan, and an area of unmet need in Uzbekistan. It can be entered only with registered products and through legal import channels. At CSC we follow these three markets closely in the light of import and sales data.
References: [1] UN Comtrade, HS 30 import/export data (importer-reported; 2023–2025), comtradeplus.un.org, accessed 15.10.2026. [2] AIFD/İEİS (Turkish Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association), Foreign Trade Analysis, December 2024 and December 2025, ieis.org.tr. [3] IQVIA, FACTS from IQVIA – Eurasia, April 2026 (MAT 04/2026), iqvia.com. [4] Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade, Azerbaijan Sector Report – Pharmaceuticals, ticaret.gov.tr. [5] Rajabova N.H., Suyunov N.D., Analysis and forecast of the need for antitumour medicines in the Republic of Uzbekistan, Vestnik Farmatsii 2024;1(103):36-48. [6] Anhor.uz, access to oncology medicines in Uzbekistan (Ministry of Health budget data), 2025. [7] WHO, Noncommunicable Diseases Country Profiles 2018 (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan).