The Cabinet of Ministers has settled the issue of discounts on medicines in pharmacies: which drugs will be affected
Kyiv • UNN
The Cabinet of Ministers has regulated the issue of pharmacy discounts for patients with chronic diseases. The maximum trade margin of 25% for prescription drugs costing up to UAH 1000 has been established.
The Cabinet of Ministers has settled the issue of discounts in pharmacies for drugs for patients with chronic diseases and individual access programs for medicines. This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a government meeting, UNN reports.
The third solution is to regulate the issue of pharmacy discounts on medicines for patients with chronic diseases and individual access programs. Starting March 1, new rules for regulating the pharmaceutical market will come into force in Ukraine, which, among other things, limit marketing payments to pharmacies. However, in Ukraine, many patient support programs operate through marketing payment mechanisms. Therefore, after a dialogue with drug manufacturers, we are adjusting government decisions in such a way as to preserve these patient support programs
Addendum
The government's representative in the Parliament, Taras Melnychuk, noted that the relevant amendments were introduced "in order to create conditions for public access to medicines, prevent further increase in prices for medicines in Ukraine and regulate the requirements for business entities operating in the field of production, import, wholesale and retail trade of medicines for the formation, establishment and application of state regulated prices".
"The term "wholesale price of a medicinal product" has been redefined, in particular, to allow further declaration of such price by manufacturers of medicinal products or holders of registration certificates (their representatives), on whose behalf contract manufacturing of their own products is carried out at the sites of other manufacturers of medicinal products," Melnychuk said.
He also said that the maximum trade (retail pharmacy) mark-up of no more than 25% to the purchase price for prescription drugs that do not exceed UAH 1000 per package and are not reimbursed from the budget is to be reviewed and set. Patient support programs aimed at reducing the financial burden on patients and increasing access to essential medicines that are not reimbursed from the budget were extended as of March 1.
Recall
The Verkhovna Rada adopted in the second reading the draft law No. 11493 on the regulation of the pharmaceutical market. In particular, one of the provisions is to set a margin of 8% for distributors and representative offices of foreign pharmaceutical companies. In addition, the Government adopted Resolution No. 168, which sets limits on supply and retail markups for all medicines, not just for certain categories, as is currently the case.
The European Business Association has previously called on the President of Ukraine to veto the draft law passed by the Parliament due to concerns that the innovations could negatively affect the health of patients.
Concerns about the new regulation of the pharmaceutical market were also expressed by a number of patient organizationsthat are concerned that vital medicines will disappear from pharmacy shelves in Ukraine.
Add
Health Minister Viktor Lyashko has not ruled out a possible reduction in the range of medicines in pharmacies after the law comes into force, which could affect the availability of medicines for Ukrainians.
