Pfizer Inc and Bayer said on Monday they would maintain humanitarian supply of medicines to Russia, but would pull back from other non-essential spending in the country.

Pfizer said:

Ending delivery of medicines, including cancer or cardiovascular therapies, would cause significant patient suffering and potential loss of life, particularly among children and elderly people.

The drugmaker, however, will not start new clinical trials or recruit patients for ongoing studies in the country. It would also cease all planned investments towards manufacturing in Russia.

Meanwhile, Pfizer said it would work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators to transition all clinical trials to alternative sites outside Russia. It will continue providing drugs to patients already enrolled in studies.

Germany’s Bayer said on Monday it stopped all spending in Russia, which is not related to essential products in health and agriculture and added it had already provided essential agricultural inputs to farmers in Russia for the 2022 growing season “to alleviate additional pressure on the global food system”.Нowever, still undecided over supplies for 2023. Russia accounts for about 2% of the German group’s sales.

Western drugmakers and medical-device companies have warned their plans to keep selling their products to Russia might become complicated due to the sanctions imposed on the country, even though they do not apply to such products.