People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh threatened the pharmaceutical market with a new bill that could kill pharmacies in Ukraine. According to an UNN source, who shared details of the prepared document's content with the editorial office, it provides for strict norms regarding the number of pharmacies, both "in one hand" and per certain radius and population, UNN reports.
People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh published another "loud" statement about pharmaceutical market reform in his blog. There, he presented his new bill, which, according to him, should "save patients from rising drug prices." However, experts and market players think otherwise.
Thus, in his blog, Kuzminykh once again insists that marketing is allegedly the main reason for high drug prices. He calls pharmacies "marketing machines" and accuses them of imposing "fuflo-medicines-dietary supplements" on patients. And with his bill №13657, he proposes to give the government the right to establish maximum marketing restrictions, prohibit any marketing for prescription drugs, and control pricing at the entrance to pharmacies. That is, in fact, he not only promotes the idea of complete state intervention in the pharmacy segment but also demonizes marketing as such.
But the main focus of the blog is not even on marketing. At the end of his text, Kuzminykh announced an even more absurd idea – the law "On Pharmacies." According to insider information from the UNN editorial office, in its current version, the document contains scandalous norms: one owner will be able to open no more than four pharmacies throughout the country, and he must have a pharmaceutical education. Moreover, a restriction of "one pharmacy per a certain number of people" is introduced. That is, in fact, a strict reduction of the pharmacy business is planned, which will particularly painfully affect independent pharmacies and regional networks. And in progression, it will also reduce tax revenues from pharmacies to the state budget, at such a difficult time for Ukraine.
However, the people's deputy seems indifferent to this. After all, it is not the first time Kuzminykh has acted this way. Bill No. 4122 regarding the regulation of the dietary supplement market was also prepared behind the scenes, and representatives of the sphere learned about it only at the end of 2024.
It turns out that such an important document was developed behind the scenes, behind the backs of pharmaceutical market stakeholders. What is this then, if not lobbying?
Another point that shocked representatives of the dietary supplement market was the extremely short deadlines for implementing the new rules. While in Europe, businesses are given several years to adapt, in Ukraine, companies are offered to meet deadlines within a few months. Such an approach can paralyze the work of manufacturers and suppliers, as it is almost impossible to rebuild production processes and logistics in such a short time. As a result, an entire market segment may be at risk, and consumers risk losing access to quality dietary supplements.
It is obvious that only large pharmaceutical manufacturers will benefit from such "reboots." If small dietary supplement manufacturers and foreign suppliers cannot withstand the new rules, only expensive drugs from pharmaceutical giants will remain on pharmacy shelves.
Kuzminykh himself has also repeatedly demonstrated his hostile attitude towards the supplement market. Deliberately discrediting the segment, creating a negative background around dietary supplements, and promoting narratives beneficial to large drug manufacturers.
The "free hand of the market" has given rise to hundreds of fuflo-medicines that are imposed on patients, often even instead of medicines – dietary supplements
But Kuzminykh does not stop at the topic of marketing. Despite the fact that it was banned as early as March 1, 2025, drug prices have not decreased, and in some places have even increased. Patients, however, have lost bonus programs and discounts. And pharmacies, due to the lack of marketing payments, began to close mobile pharmacies, leaving hundreds of people without access to medicines. However, the people's deputy continues to repeat that "marketing is evil," stubbornly ignoring the facts that prove the opposite.
All this leads to a logical conclusion: Kuzminykh's new initiatives are not about patients, but about pharmaceutical giants. And it's not hard to guess who exactly.
"Darnytsia" and Kuzminykh: an old story in a new way
As UNN previously wrote, in 2016–2018, the Kuzminykh brothers' charitable foundation received over UAH 9.5 million from the "Zagoria Family Charitable Foundation," the owners of "Darnytsia." At that time, the people's deputy worked in the Ministry of Health commission, which was engaged in terminating registration certificates. This situation attracted the attention of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), which launched an inspection. The agency then emphasized a possible conflict of interest in the actions of the Ministry of Health commission member, who had his own charitable foundation and simultaneously received funding from the owners of the pharmaceutical giant.
Today, Kuzminykh has reached a new level. After all, the deputy's rhetoric and the official statements of the "Darnytsia" company coincide so much that lawyers are already talking about the possibility of a linguistic examination that can confirm the real authorship of legislative initiatives. We can assume that we are observing a classic example of illegal influence, where patients remain only a "screen."
Kuzminykh: from bribe to lawmaking
However, the greatest cynicism in this story manifests itself when one begins to consider Kuzminykh's own figure. The deputy has been on trial for almost three years for receiving a half-million bribe. According to the investigation, he received UAH 558,000 for facilitating the conclusion of contracts between private companies and a hospital in the Zhytomyr region. NABU published a video of the moment the money was transferred back in January 2022, but there is still no verdict: out of 87 scheduled hearings, more than half were disrupted due to "sudden illnesses," business trips, or simply the absence of the people's deputy himself and his lawyers.
Meanwhile, the state continues to finance his life: in 2022–2024 alone, he received over UAH 2.5 million in compensation from the budget. Political scientists emphasize: in any European country, such a politician would have resigned long ago.
Some government officials are unworthy people, capable only of doing what they are told, being an ideal cog in the corruption process. We see that people without signs of professional qualities, without signs of any morality, end up in certain positions, including deputy ones.
It seems that Kuzminykh's initiatives are not about caring for patients, but about protecting the interests of large pharmaceutical corporations. His "law on pharmacies" threatens the destruction of independent pharmacy businesses, market monopolization, and even greater subordination to pharmaceutical giants. And while Kuzminykh delays his own trial and lives at the expense of taxpayers, he continues to pretend to be a "fighter against expensive medicines," although in reality he is just another tool of illegal influence in the pharmaceutical sector.