“The TSK of the VRU proposes to introduce restrictions for distributors regarding the purchase of drugs “in the same hands”, and this will hit manufacturers and pharmacies, the expert notes.”, — write: www.unian.ua
The TSK of the VRU proposes to introduce restrictions for distributors regarding the purchase of drugs “in the same hands”, and this will hit manufacturers and pharmacies, the expert notes.
UNIAN collage, photo ua.depositphotos.com, UNIANThe proposals of the TSK of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine under the leadership of Yulia Tymoshenko threaten to undermine the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine. Tetyana Kotlyar, head of the All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Union “FARMUKRAIN” public union, comes to this conclusion in her blog on “Ukrainian News”.In particular, in her post, she relies on the results of the meeting held at the Ministry of Health on December 14, which was devoted to the consideration of amendments to draft law No. 11493 from the TSK of the VRU under the leadership of Yulia Tymoshenko and the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Health, Medical Assistance and Medical Insurance.
Tetyana Kotlyar notes that today the pharmaceutical market in Ukraine consists of three elements. These are manufacturing companies, distribution companies and pharmacy chains. Under such a market structure, distributors perform the functions of drive belts. On the one hand, they provide factories with full loading, based on the sales volumes of the previous period, and on the other hand, they provide pharmacies with drugs to replenish the assortment “for sale”, that is, they perform the functions of commodity crediting. “However, the main thing is that the market works stably despite the challenges of wartime, and the consumer has a full assortment, and what’s more, it’s within walking distance,” the specialist emphasizes.
According to Kotlyar, the TSK of the VRU proposes to introduce restrictions for distributors regarding the purchase of drugs “in the same hands”. If this proposal is accepted, one distributor will be allowed to buy only 20% of one nomenclature item of a domestic manufacturer, based on the net income figures for the previous calendar year. “But such a restriction will first of all affect manufacturers, who will receive a much smaller portion instead of the volume of the previous calendar year. Secondly, it will affect pharmacies, which will be able to take only a part of the required assortment for sale,” predicts the head of GS “PHARMUKRAIN”.
According to Kotlyar, the consequences will be as follows: less sales – less production, fewer jobs, less taxes to the budget. Smaller assortment in pharmacies, lower income, closure of pharmacies and small chains. Fewer pharmacies mean more overhead costs for consumers, a reduction in the assortment means a shortage of medicines. And where there is a shortage, there is always a black market and rising prices. “Therefore, we will have a result that is the exact opposite of what was declared,” she claims.