Will medicines remain affordable? The Ministry of Health discussed scandalous innovations with the pharmaceutical community
Kyiv • UNN
The Ministry of Health held a meeting with representatives of the pharmaceutical market to discuss amendments to the draft law No. 11493. The proposed changes may lead to higher prices for medicines and problems with the availability of medicines, especially in remote regions.
Under the chairmanship of Health Minister Viktor Lyashko, a meeting was held with representatives of the pharmaceutical market, including manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy chains, on the scandalous amendments to the draft law No. 11493, which could lead to a significant increase in the cost of medicines and complicate access to medicines in the frontline areas, UNN reports.
According to one of the participants of the meeting, the attendees were handed a document that listed the amendments that the Committee plans to make during the preparation of the draft law for the second reading.
The document provides for several important amendments that will have a significant impact on the pharmaceutical market, the availability of medicines and drug prices.
In particular, it is proposed to limit the purchase of medicines by one buyer to 20% of the total volume of the manufacturer.
According to experts, this will create a risk that pharmacies will not be able to obtain enough drugs to meet demand, especially during epidemics or emergencies. This will lead to a shortage of medicines, forcing chronically ill patients to look for the medicines they need in other cities, especially in frontline areas and remote settlements.
In addition, it is proposed to introduce a single electronic catalog that will regulate prices for all drugs. This could create additional bureaucracy, delays in the supply of medicines, and price increases due to higher business costs. Pharmacies may refuse to work with certain groups of drugs due to their unprofitability, which will lead to a reduction in the range of medicines.
The document also provides for quotas for the supply of critical medicines. That is, restrictions will be imposed on the supply of vaccines, insulin, and antibiotics, but the specifics of logistics provided by large distributors are not taken into account.
This, in turn, will lead to disruption of supply chains and closure of warehouses in remote regions and shortages of medicines, especially in the frontline areas.
Another innovation proposed by the document is the prohibition of marketing agreements. This means that manufacturers and distributors will not be able to offer discounts to pharmacies, and pharmacies will not be able to offer discounts to customers. As a result, drug prices will rise rapidly, and some chains will be forced to close pharmacies in small towns with low profitability.
Representatives of the pharmaceutical market almost unanimously opposed such amendments, with only one pharmaceutical giant supporting them. Market experts emphasized that such changes could lead to significant social and economic problems. Participants noted that the increase in drug prices and shortages of medicines would be particularly acute for residents of remote regions and frontline areas where access to pharmacies is already limited.
Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko emphasized that the Ministry is open to dialogue and consideration of proposals from market representatives. He called on market representatives to submit their proposals to be taken into account in the final version of the draft law.
The participants of the meeting welcomed the Minister's position and expressed hope that he would defend their interests and ensure fair and transparent rules of the game in the pharmaceutical market that would not primarily hit Ukrainians' wallets.
