More affordable medicines and new sales conditions: The Cabinet of Ministers made significant decisions for Ukrainians

The Government of Ukraine has adopted several changes aimed at improving the availability of medicines for the population and establishing more transparent pricing mechanisms. This applies not only to the sale of drugs in medical institutions and gas stations, but also to new requirements for pharmacy employees and the provision of marketing services.

Pharmacies operating in state and municipal medical institutions are obliged to sell only three positions of medicines with the same composition, dosage, and form of release, determined at the lowest prices in the National Catalog.

This decision is designed to increase transparency in drug pricing, facilitate patient access to drugs, and ensure continuity of treatment in medical institutions.

Sale of non-prescription medicines at gas stations

Gas stations can now sell non-prescription medicines if they have an appropriate license and comply with specific requirements. In particular, it is necessary to:

ensure proper conditions for storing medicines;

conduct quality control of medicines with the participation of an authorized specialist;
Set up a separate area for medicines, separate from other goods.
It is also possible to sell non-prescription medicines through vending machines, provided quality control and compliance with storage requirements are ensured.

The main goal of the innovations is to reduce the cost of popular medicines and ensure access to them when pharmacies are unavailable or operate erratically. An additional advantage is the readiness of gas station networks to function even during power outages.

Updated requirements for pharmacy staff in rural areas

The Cabinet of Ministers has also updated the requirements for pharmacy staff. From now on, specialists with a broader range of qualifications will be able to work in this area.

In villages and frontline communities, medicines can be dispensed by specialists with an education not lower than a junior bachelor’s degree in Nursing, if they have a certificate in Pharmacy (retail trade in medicines).

This decision is intended to help pharmacies in communities with a shortage of personnel without lowering the standards of quality and safety in pharmaceutical services.

Marketing services in pharmacies: new rules

Manufacturers and importers of medicines can use pharmacies’ marketing services only voluntarily. It is prohibited to initiate or require such services as a mandatory condition of cooperation.

This applies to transparent advertising tools for medicines that do not affect their composition, quality, or cost. Such conditions will ensure equal competition for all manufacturers, including Ukrainian ones, and will allow for a better presentation of more affordable offers.

The introduction of the National Price Catalogue makes it impossible to use marketing to raise prices, since the prices declared are fixed covertly and the promotion is exclusively informational.

Part of the price reduction plan

All of the above changes are part of the national plan to reduce and stabilize medicine prices, approved by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.