Dietary supplements under fire: who benefits from pushing out dietary supplements from Ukraine

After pharmaceutical manufacturers lobbied for a ban on marketing agreements between pharmacies and manufacturers – a step that harmed patients, destroyed loyalty programs, and brought no benefit other than profit for the pharmaceutical giants themselves – they set their sights on a new target. This time, the market for biologically active supplements became the target, UNN reports.

Demand for dietary supplements is growing – medicines are losing groundAccording to experts, the demand for biologically active supplements has increased by almost 25% over the past year. Accordingly, the demand for medicines has decreased by the same amount, which, according to Olena Prudnikova, head of the NGO “All-Ukrainian Association Mykolaiv Pharmaceutical Association Pharmrada”, seriously concerned pharmaceutical giants. So now they are trying to take control of this market segment as well.

It is clear that such a trend particularly worries drug manufacturers, who have always been among the sales leaders of the most popular drugs. Bill No. 4122 is presented as fulfilling obligations to implement European legislation, but it has significant discrepancies with European documents. Why is this so and who benefits from it? The answer is obvious: those who do not want to give up the market for biological supplements 

Two years of behind-the-scenes developmentMoreover, according to her, at one of the interdepartmental group meetings, the head of the parliamentary subcommittee on pharmacy, Serhiy Kuzminykh, reported that the bill had been developed with the Ministry of Health for two years, but was only published for discussion at the end of 2024.

It turns out that such an important document was developed behind the scenes, that is, behind the backs of pharmaceutical market stakeholders? What is this then, if not lobbying? 

Six months instead of five yearsIn addition, according to the December reform, the transitional period for introducing new rules for dietary supplements is only six months, while in Europe, five years are allotted for this. Such restrictions were introduced allegedly for a quick market reboot. Instead, this could lead to a market shutdown, and it would be impossible to restart it because it would go bankrupt.

The current regulation, in the form in which it was adopted in December 2024, needs to be changed. The transitional period introduced for this regulation must definitely be extended. That is, officials do not have the resources, and businesses do not have the opportunity to resolve all these issues so quickly. This is a common problem of Ukrainian legislation. When we have any changes, we are then given a few months. While in Europe, for example, three, seven, or ten years are allotted for this. Because people there think about business, because they understand that business does not live in a two-month time frame. There are some production plans, some sales plans, they are calculated for years 

Another concern of pharmaceutical market representatives: the new regulation of the dietary supplement market creates a risk that due to strict norms, foreign suppliers will leave the Ukrainian market altogether. Because of this, Ukrainians may be left without the opportunity to legally purchase the latest biological supplements. So they will be forced to buy them on the “gray market”, which will not only create a threat of tax revenue losses to the budget, but also open up the possibility of selling fakes among dietary supplements. Which can directly harm the health of the entire nation.

The dietary supplement market is not just a businessOlena Lukashevych, head of the Organizing Committee of the “All-Ukrainian Congress of Dietary Supplement Market Operators”, also drew attention to this.

The DD (dietary supplements – ed.) market is not only a business, but also the safety, health, and longevity of Ukrainians. That is why it is important for us to have common rules and high-quality self-regulation. Responsibility lies with both manufacturers and regulators, and, of course, with consumers for responsible consumption 

ConclusionHistory repeats itself: after pharmaceutical giants managed to use the ban on marketing agreements for their own benefit, they now seek to conquer the dietary supplement market. The rapid, behind-the-scenes adoption of regulation without proper dialogue with market representatives, an overly short transitional period, the risk of displacing foreign and weakening small domestic producers – all this creates a threat not only to business, but also to the health of millions of Ukrainians.

If these changes come into force in their current form, Ukrainians risk losing access to quality and safe bio-supplements, and their place on the shelves will be taken by expensive drugs from pharmaceutical giants.