In Ukraine, a new epidemic season for influenza, COVID-19, and other acute respiratory viral infections has officially begun, which will last until May 17, 2026. The increasing number of sick people increases the burden not only on the medical system but also on the wallets of Ukrainians. UNN investigated how to save money on medicines, not on health.
According to data from the Public Health Center of Ukraine, during the first week of the epidemic season (from September 29 to October 5), 129,753 people fell ill with ARVI, including COVID-19, of whom more than half (76,342) were children. Although the incidence rate currently remains below the epidemic threshold, and no cases of influenza have yet been recorded, doctors expect an increase in the number of sick people closer to winter.
Rule of economy: the pharmacy is obliged to protect your wallet
Against the backdrop of epidemiological news, the issue of affordable and effective treatment becomes particularly relevant. A key point of savings for Ukrainians is the norm introduced by the government at the end of 2024: pharmacies are obliged to have one of the three cheapest analogues of medicines in their assortment and offer it to the buyer.
As experts explain, the doctor prescribes not a specific drug in the prescription, but the name of the molecule and its dosage necessary for treatment. And the choice of manufacturer remains with the patient. And as studies show, Ukrainians are increasingly choosing affordability instead of a hyped expensive brand.
How a brand eats up your budget
In practice, the rule of offering the cheapest analogue translates into tangible savings for the Ukrainian consumer, especially when it comes to treating the whole family. To calculate how much the Ukrainian consumer can save by choosing cheaper analogues instead of popular drug brands, UNN analyzed data on the cost of drugs with the same active substance and dosage, presented on the online drug search aggregator Tabletki.ua in Kyiv.
Let's take drugs that help with cough. The mucolytic "Ambroxol-Darnytsia" costs UAH 41.20. But there are analogues on the shelves that contain the same active molecule and have the same dosage. For example, "Ambroxol" from "Zdorovya" can be found for only UAH 16.00. Direct savings - UAH 25.20 per package.
A similar situation applies to throat sprays – if "Septefril Verde" from "Darnytsia" sells for UAH 188.83, then "Tantivert spray" from "Vertex FF" will cost you UAH 109.80. Here you save over 79 hryvnias on one bottle.
Even on ordinary vasoconstrictor nasal drops, you can win – the price for "Rinazal" drops of the "Darnytsia" brand starts from UAH 60.67, while the analogue "Farmazolin" from "Farmak" costs UAH 48.13. The difference is UAH 12.54.
The most striking difference was recorded in the segment of effervescent tablets for thinning sputum. Thus, "Dvace Long" from "Darnytsia" has a price tag of UAH 209.08 for 10 tablets. Meanwhile, another analogue, "Acetal tablets" from "Zdorovya," costs only UAH 97.11. The difference is more than 111 hryvnias per package.
And even if we consider antiviral drugs – "Acyclovir-Darnytsia" costs UAH 112.16, and the full analogue "Herpevir" from "Arterium" – UAH 89.00. Savings – UAH 23.16.
Is it worth overpaying?
The total savings when buying only one package of each of the five analyzed drugs is over 252 hryvnias. This amount, multiplied by the number of family members and the duration of treatment, proves that the government's norm on the mandatory offering of the cheapest analogue is a key tool for the financial stability of Ukrainians. After all, why consciously overpay if you can save hundreds of hryvnias and get the same therapeutic effect?
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