“Medicines without a prescription can now be bought at gas stations”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Illustrative photo. Pexels Source: Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko u social networks
Details: Lyashko reported that during the meeting, the government made several decisions that will ensure a decrease in the price of medicines and an increase in their availability.
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Lyashka’s direct speech: “The sale was allowed over-the-counter drugs at gas stations subject to obtaining the appropriate license. This is about situations when there is no pharmacy nearby: in the village, in front-line communities or late at night outside the boundaries of large cities. These are only safe over-the-counter medications that people use on their own.
This is especially important in times of war, because gas station networks often remain stable even during power outages. Prescribed requirements for trade at gas stations allow to guarantee the quality and safety of medicinal products. This will help lower prices and make medicines more affordable.”
Details: Also, according to him, pharmacies in state and communal hospitals are obliged to sell only drugs with the three lowest prices from the National Catalog among drugs with the same composition and effect
Lyashka’s direct speech: “In three stages, the state introduced referencing and declaration of prices and created the National Catalog of Medicines, which already includes almost 11,000 items. This allows you to clearly understand how many manufacturers and importers sell each active substance in Ukraine and at what price.
Calculations show that in the case of replacing more expensive drugs with cheaper analogues, the average check of Ukrainians for drugs can decrease by approximately 38 percent. Today’s decision of the Government creates the conditions so that precisely such economically beneficial drugs are guaranteed to be available in pharmacies of medical institutions.”
Details: In addition, as Lyashko writes, specialists with a wider list of qualifications defined by legislation can now be involved in the work in pharmacies and pharmacy points.
Lyashka’s direct speech: “In rural areas and in front-line communities, the dispensing of drugs in pharmacies (without production) can be carried out by specialists with an education of at least a junior bachelor’s degree in the specialty “Nursing” and a certificate in the profile “Pharmacy (retail sale of medicinal products)”. This allows pharmacies to form teams more efficiently, especially in communities with a shortage of personnel, and at the same time ensures the proper quality and safety of pharmaceutical care for patients.”
Details: In addition, the government regulated the rules for the provision of marketing services in the pharmaceutical sector.
Lyashka’s direct speech: “These are transparent tools for promoting drugs at points of sale: informing, posting materials, or participating in loyalty programs. The launch of the National Price Catalog makes it impossible to use marketing as a tool to covertly increase the cost of drugs – declared prices are fixed, and promotion becomes a mechanism for informing and increasing accessibility for patients.”
Prehistory:
- In July 2025, the government limited the distribution market of medicines by setting a percentage limit supply of goods from one distributor.