Small pharmaceutical manufacturers against marketing ban: no chance to compete

The ban on marketing agreements between drug manufacturers and pharmacies, introduced on March 1, 2025, blocks the development of small manufacturers and deprives them of the opportunity to compete with giant factories. This was stated in an exclusive comment to UNN by Danyil Pyshnohraiev, a representative of Multispray LLC.

Why do small manufacturers need marketing? First of all, it's an opportunity to somehow compete with large pharmaceutical factories like "Darnytsia" or "Arterium," which don't need, so to speak, aggressive marketing to promote their products, because they have their own niche and recognition among consumers.

For example, according to him, everyone knows about "Citramon-Darnytsia," and if a small manufacturer wants to sell an analogue, they need marketing - a separate shelf in the pharmacy.

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For us, marketing is really necessary to compete with large pharmaceutical giants. If there is no marketing, then our new, conditionally, "citramon" will appear, and perhaps even better, but how will it be sold and by what means?

He added that the innovation stating that pharmacies are obliged, first of all, to offer patients the cheapest drug by active substance does not work in favor of small manufacturers. After all, only large companies with high production volumes and superprofits can withstand such price competition.

Recall

Since March 1, 2025, Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 168 has been in effect in Ukraine, introducing restrictions on drug markups and a ban on marketing agreements. The government is currently reviewing its decision.

While the resolution has not yielded real results, as of June 2025, analysts record an increase in drug prices in Ukraine, despite government initiatives. Ukrainians also note that they have not felt a decrease in drug prices. The Patients of Ukraine Charitable Foundation also speaks of an increase in drug prices instead of a decrease. According to the head of the foundation, Inna Ivanenko, patients have not yet felt a significant improvement in the cost or availability of drugs.