Despite the ban on marketing agreements in the pharmaceutical market being in effect for almost half a year, People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh continues to repeat the theses of the pharmaceutical company "Darnytsia" and insist that marketing is to blame for the high prices of medicines in Ukraine, writes UNN.
Details
Since March 1, 2025, a complete ban on concluding marketing agreements between drug manufacturers and pharmacies has been in effect. The main argument of the initiators of this ban was to reduce drug prices for patients. Almost 6 months have passed, but the promised effect has not yet materialized. On the contrary, according to analysts, the average cost of some medicines has increased.
Today, even the Ministry of Health admits - prices have not decreased after the ban on marketing agreements.
Despite these facts, Serhiy Kuzminykh again talks about marketing as the main evil. In his new post, the MP states that patients demand a complete ban on marketing to curb price increases.
"Patients demand: until the end of the war, marketing payments must be zeroed out. Manufacturers should direct the saved billions to reduce drug prices!" - emphasizes the MP.
However, these payments are already prohibited, but the funds "saved" on them, which is about half a billion hryvnias per month, manufacturers, it seems, did not direct to discounts on medicines.
A logical question arises: why does Kuzminykh - a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Health - knowing about the ineffectiveness of the ban, continue to insist on already implemented measures? The answer may lie in his connections with the pharmaceutical business.
As is known, Kuzminykh had contacts with large pharmaceutical businesses even before his parliamentary career. In particular, the charitable organization "Zagoria Family Foundation", founded by the owners of the pharmaceutical plant "Darnytsia" Kateryna and Hlib Zagoria, provided over 9.5 million UAH to the Kuzminykh brothers' fund in 2016-2018. Today, the MP actively promotes narratives that completely coincide with the position of this manufacturer - a complete ban on marketing, pharmacies are too strong and should be restricted.
One can argue for a long time about the expediency of marketing payments, but one thing is obvious: they were banned, and the promised price reduction did not happen.
Recall
UNN journalists, after talking with representatives of the pharmaceutical market and sources close to the family of the owners of the "Darnytsia" plant, Kateryna and Hlib Zagoria, found out that in early summer 2024, the Zagorias, probably, developed a plan for market redistribution, the purpose of which is to displace small manufacturers, eliminate large distributors, and shift responsibility for high drug prices to pharmacy chains. The implementation of this plan would be impossible without political support, so, according to sources, "Darnytsia" turned to People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh, a long-time acquaintance of the family and head of the subcommittee on pharmacy.
The first stage was a campaign against pharmacy marketing, which was presented in the public space as the main reason for "markups" on prices. As a result of public pressure, the Ministry of Health was forced to limit marketing, but the promised price reduction did not happen - manufacturers, including "Darnytsia", reduced the cost of only a few drugs from the TOP-100 list, while prices for other drugs remained unchanged or began to rise. At the same time, "Darnytsia"'s profit, according to various estimates, increased by half a billion hryvnias monthly.
Despite the fact that the promised effect for patients was not achieved, Kuzminykh continues to openly promote the interests of "Darnytsia" - both through social networks, and through controlled media, and at closed meetings. In addition, according to journalists, the charitable foundation, co-founded by Kuzminykh, received significant sums from the Zagoria family foundation - co-owners of "Darnytsia". This even became the subject of a NAZK check.