Instead of expected discounts: Ukrainians were informed about an increase in medicine prices

The National Price Catalogue for Medicines in Ukraine has commenced its operations to prevent unjustified increases in the cost of medicines. However, analyst Oleksiy Golobutsky believes that this step may, on the contrary, lead to a rise in the price of pharmaceutical products.

Entering information about medicines and their prices in the new register is voluntary. To date, over 2,000 items have been catalogued.

Golobutsky notes that, although the idea appears promising, in practice, the cost of medicines in the catalogue turned out to be significantly higher than before. For some products, prices reach the maximum allowable level. According to him, pharmaceutical companies may attempt to set the highest possible reference price, as the Ministry of Health may change its approach to pricing in the future. This may lead to a gradual increase in the cost of medicines in Ukraine.

The expert also reports that, based on unofficial information, some foreign manufacturers and importers use tricks when classifying drugs, sometimes presenting them as “original”, which allows setting lower prices.

This approach could pose a threat to Ukrainian drug manufacturers, as they would need to reduce the prices of their products by at least 25%. However, such significant savings are often not possible, which could lead to some local manufacturers exiting the market.