Pharmaceutical companies to reduce prices for more than 200 medicines: what awaits consumers

Medicine manufacturers in Ukraine are preparing to reduce prices for about 250 more medicines. The cost reduction will range from 20% to 40%, depending on the market situation. Such changes were announced by the president of the association "Medicine Manufacturers of Ukraine" Petro Bagriy, emphasizing that drug prices will be reduced gradually for different groups of drugs.

According to Bagriy, it is planned to reduce prices for about 200-250 names of medicines. Prices will vary within 20-40%, in particular, for some drugs - by 20%, for others - by 30%, and for some - by 40%. However, the cost will depend on many factors, such as the market situation, logistics and exchange rate fluctuations.

One of the main factors that determines the prices of medicines is the cost of raw materials and energy. In addition, there are marketing agreements in the market, which also affect the final price of the product for consumers. Petro Bagriy noted that currently in Ukraine there are 118 licenses for the production of medicines, which creates high competition in this segment. However, the situation in the distribution market is somewhat different: there are more than 350 licenses for wholesale activities, but 80% of the market is occupied by only two distributors.

Another feature of the Ukrainian pharmaceutical market is the high concentration of pharmacy chains. According to Bagriy, the five largest pharmacy chains occupy 75-80% of the market. These chains have their own pricing policies and actively compete with each other for a place on pharmacy shelves. However, there is also a problem that drug manufacturers compete to get their products on pharmacy shelves, and for this purpose additional marketing agreements are often concluded, which increases the price of drugs. This, in turn, leads to consumers overpaying.

Bahriy noted that this situation requires state regulation, as the problem with pricing can negatively affect the availability of medicines for Ukrainians. He also recalled the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelensky to reduce prices for the 100 most commonly used drugs, which, according to him, is important for reducing the financial burden on consumers.

In general, despite the difficult situation on the pharmaceutical market, the reduction in drug prices is positive news for Ukrainians, who will be able to purchase the necessary medicines at more affordable prices. However, in order to ensure fair competition and increase the availability of medicines, it is necessary to continue working on state regulation of this sector.