Kuzminykh continues to lobby the interests of pharmaceutical plants: manipulations under the guise of caring for patients
Kyiv • UNN
People's Deputy Kuzminykh continues to defend the interests of pharmaceutical giants, shifting the responsibility for high prices to pharmacies. Manufacturers have not reduced drug prices, despite the abolition of marketing payments.
People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh, accused of bribery, continues his media campaign in favor of pharmaceutical giants, who, despite the abolition of marketing payments from March 1, have not reduced the selling prices of drugs. Kuzminykh is publicly trying to manipulate figures and shift responsibility for high prices to pharmacies, writes UNN. However, the key question remains unanswered: if manufacturers no longer pay for marketing, why have they not lowered drug prices as promised?
"We paid UAH 30 billion to pharmacy chains," writes Kuzminykh. First, a logical question arises, who are "we"? Did Kuzminykh pay out of his own pocket, or has he worked so closely with manufacturers that he no longer separates himself from the factories? The law prohibits deputies from engaging in entrepreneurial activities, although it is obvious that this does not work very well in the situation with Kuzminykh.
And secondly, where are the 30 billion hryvnias a year that manufacturers paid to pharmacies? Why didn't they return in the form of lower drug prices?
Kuzminykh is silent about the fact that it was thanks to marketing agreements that pharmacies had the resource to give discounts to patients. This allowed retail to compete on price, not on "another version of diclofenac," as the MP writes.
After the ban on pharmacies entering into marketing agreements with pharmacies, manufacturers did not change their pricing policy. Moreover, selling prices continue to rise despite promises of "caring for people." This is said by ordinary Ukrainians, and statistics. By the way, this is also confirmed even by the Ministry of Health.
By the way, 72% of the price of each drug is formed by manufacturers, not pharmacies. So why does the MP stubbornly avoid even mentioning this? Is it because it is not profitable for the factories, which continue to receive super profits?
Instead, the MP says that he is in favor of banning or limiting 5% of the marketing budget, and not 12%, as would be profitable for pharmacies. So, the situation with drug prices, which exists now, completely suits the people's choice? Perhaps it is worth reminding that the salaries of most patients are not as high as those of deputies?
And finally, who benefits from the fact that pharmacies do not have the resources to lower prices, compete and work with small and medium-sized manufacturers? The answer is obvious, of course, pharmaceutical giants like the Darnitsa plant, which "started the mess" with the ban on marketing under the pretext of promises to reduce drug prices.
A pharmacy is not a gas station, Kuzminykh emphasizes, but a pharmaceutical plant is not a sacred cow either. Why does the state today restrict retail, pharmacies, but never voices a demand to factories to lower the price? Why is the focus on those who communicate with the patient, and not those who form the cost of the drug?
There are more questions than answers. And while Kuzminykh is "fighting" with pharmacy chains, Ukrainians are still buying medicines at inflated prices.
