Ukrainians are waiting for another decrease in medicine prices - from April 1, the cost of 116 drugs will fall to 52% of the initial price. In total, according to the Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko on the air of the telemorathone, the cheaper has already affected 222 names, and the average discount is about 17%. However, together with optimistic statements, the pharmaceutical market is at the center of a high -profile conflict: pharmacies sabotage new prices, and the government's resolution is criticized by patient organizations and lawyers.
According to Lyashko, since March 1 in Ukraine, the prices for the TOP-100 medicines of Ukrainian production, which are most purchased in pharmacies, have decreased by 30%. But it was only the beginning: in March, another 104 drugs have fallen, and now, since April 1, the process will continue - 116 drugs will be added to the list. Thus, in general, it is already about 222 drugs.
According to the minister, the price reduction varies from 52% to 5%. And although 5% seem a mizer, in the case of expensive drugs, even such a discount is significant.
“The average discount is 17%. This is a good indicator that makes the medicine more accessible to the population, ”Lyashko emphasized.
The MoH's optimistic rhetoric is spoiled by the statistics of the State Consumer Service: in March it received 1156 complaints about pharmacies that did not reduce prices in accordance with the new rules. The violators have already been fined for over UAH 213 thousand.
It is obvious that some of the pharmacy networks either consciously ignore the government's resolution or tries to manipulate new conditions, maintaining old prices. "Unfortunately, there are also poor quality pharmacy networks," Lyashko admits.
We will remind, in February 2025 the Cabinet adopted a scandalous resolution No. 168, which introduced a new system of regulation of prices for medicinal products. In particular:
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limited margins for supply and retail allowances for all medicines;
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It is forbidden to conclude marketing agreements between pharmacies and producers;
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The mechanisms of discounts, social programs and exercises for pharmacists funded by pharmaceutical companies have been abolished.
The goal is to make the medicine cheaper and more accessible to Ukrainians. But this story is not so easy.
Patient organizations and market participants warn that excessive state intervention may have a opposite effect. Already in pharmacies are increasingly talking about the risk of drug shortages, especially in small cities and villages. Like, retail will not withstand such regulation without compensation and will have to close the points.
Moreover, as it turned out, Resolution No. 168, which changed the rules of the game in the market, did not undergo a mandatory examination of the State Regulatory Service. They emphasized: this is a direct violation of the Law of Ukraine "On the Principles of State Regulatory Policy in the Field of Economic Activity".
Thus, the government has launched a large -scale market reform without compliance with all legal procedures - and this is already undermining its legitimacy.
The Ministry of Health promises to continue the fight for fair prices, and the State Consumer Service is even more active in checking pharmacies. However, the market is already starting: pharmacy networks are dissatisfied, the pharmaceutical producers have lost some of the mechanisms of exposure, and patients are increasingly hearing in response to a medication request: "not available".
The true effect of reform, as well as its possible consequences, Ukrainians will feel the next months. So far, it remains to follow how the government imposes in the pharmacies a "cheap" game - and how far it is ready to go to prove its correctness.
