The Ministry of Health has announced the cheaper of hundreds of popular medicines. But instead of gratitude - a wave of criticism from experts, doctors and deputies. Because there are many drugs without proven efficacy.
The Ministry of Health initiative to reduce prices for the TOP-100 medicines is an ambitious project that should be responsible to the needs of Ukrainian patients. But instead of improving access to the really needed medicines, the document seems to have unleashed pharmaceuticals and buried his hopes for real reform.
According to the People's Deputy, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Health Oksana Dmitrieva, the principle of formation of the list is false. After all, it is not based on the analysis of medical feasibility or recommendations of doctors, but ... on the proposals submitted by manufacturers.
“It is necessary to reduce prices for first need, such as bread or milk in the product basket. And not on "chips and soda", which are well sold but have no proven efficiency, "she stressed in a comment for UNN.
There are absurd repetitions in the list - several positions occupy the same medicines with different number of tablets in the package. This allows manufacturers to "switch" the list technically, reducing the real number of unique names that have been cheaper.
An even larger scandal has caused an additional list of drugs that should also be reduced. Among them are ineffective or generally outdated remedies such as "Cloffeline", "Codepsin", "Pine buds" and "hydrogen peroxide".
People's deputies also pay attention: the reform has in parallel has led to an increase in prices for other medicines. And all because of the ban on marketing contracts between pharmacies and producers. Previously, they were allowed to give discounts to consumers. Now pharmacies are deprived of incentives - and are forced to raise the margins, so as not to work in a minus.
“Marketing payments have disappeared - and with them discounts for people. But the manufacturers thus saved. Where is this money now? They are not visible in the price for the buyer, ”Dmitrieva notes.
Her colleague on the committee Yuri Zaslavsky considers it unfair that state regulation has only affected retail, while manufacturers still form up to 72% of the final cost of the drug.
"Why do we control pharmacies, but do not affect the manufacturers?" - Asks the questionnaire.
According to him, despite the loud statements about "transparency and fight against cheating", the main levers of influence remain in the hands of large pharmaceutical companies.
