The pharmaceutical market demands a return to a balanced approach to the provision of marketing services – an open letter to the authorities

Representatives of the pharmaceutical market appealed to the President, the government and key regulators regarding the inadmissibility of backstage changes to the rules for the provision of marketing services and emphasized that the new version of the resolution of the Ministry of Health is a blow to the pharmacy infrastructure and a dangerous attempt to change the balance in the market in favor of individual manufacturers. This is stated in the text of an open letter published by the Pharmacy Professional Association of Ukraine, writes UNN.

The letter emphasizes that representatives of the responsible pharmaceutical market fully support the course towards transparent pricing. However, in the current conditions of reform, in particular due to the complete ban on the conclusion of marketing agreements, pharmacies are under pressure from excessive regulatory burden, which violates, and in some cases blocks their functioning. 

The introduced restrictions led to the suspension of loyalty programs for patients, narrowing the range and stock of drugs, increasing the retail price of drugs (except for TOP 100+) to the maximum limits within the resolution to cover operating expenses, suspending investment in staff training and restoring pharmacy infrastructure, and may lead to the development of “shadow” circulation of medicines in the Ukrainian market. Therefore, the practice of the last three months has proven that the ban on marketing agreements from 03/01/2025 did not give the expected result in reducing the cost of medicines, and threatened the financial stability of pharmacies and their ability to provide the population with the necessary medicines, which as a result violates the functioning of all parts of the circulation of medicines 

As noted, pharmaceutical market participants have been discussing the new procedure for providing marketing services since March. However, on May 26, the Ministry of Health, without prior agreement, presented a new version of the procedure, which, according to market participants, differs from the previously agreed project and is aimed at defending the interests of only one manufacturer.

The pharmaceutical community appeals with a request to prevent ignoring the agreed joint work and to facilitate the establishment of clear and transparent pricing mechanisms, in the formation of a balanced approach to the provision of marketing services, by supporting the agreed version of the regulation of marketing expenses at the level of up to 12% of the total volume of retail sales, which meets the criteria of efficiency, transparency, controllability and broad market support, and is a compromise solution to preserve the profitable functioning of pharmacies, in order to preserve ensuring transparency, equal access to medicines and protecting the interests of patients 

Let us remind youThe decision to ban the conclusion of marketing agreements between drug manufacturers and pharmacies, which came into force on March 1, 2025, was intended to lead to lower prices for drugs. But instead of the promised “justice for the patient,” the market received a new wave of price increases for all drugs that are not included in the so-called TOP 100 list from the Ministry of Health.