The Cabinet of Ministers approved key updates to the procedure for the sale of medicines.

Sale of medicines Photo: Ministry of Health

At a meeting on December 26, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a number of resolutions to lower the price of medicines and provide availability of medicines for the population. The Ministry of Health informs about this.

Medicines at the lowest prices – in hospital pharmacies Pharmacies in state and communal hospitals must offer, among medicines with identical composition, dosage and dosage form, only medicines with the three lowest prices, which are indicated in the National Price List.

Possibility of retail sale of over-the-counter drugs at gas stations It is possible to sell over-the-counter drugs in the premises of gas stations on the basis of a license under the following conditions:

• compliance with the conditions of storage of medicines;
• if the receipt and quality control of medicines will be provided by an authorized pharmaceutical specialist responsible for the quality system of medicines;
• arrangement in the gas station building of a zone for proper storage of medicines separately from other products.

It is also allowed to sell over-the-counter medicines in gas station premises through vending machines, subject to compliance with the requirements for storage and entry control of medicines. The goal of the changes is to reduce the price of over-the-counter drugs and make them more affordable where pharmacies are irregular or absent. In addition, gas station networks have technical capabilities for stable operation in conditions of power outages.

Clarification of requirements for pharmacy specialists, especially in villages and frontline areas Specialists with an expanded list of qualifications defined by legislation can now be employed in pharmacies and pharmacy departments. In rural areas and near-front areas, dispensing medicines in pharmacies (without production) can be carried out by specialists with an education not lower than the level of a professional junior bachelor in the specialty “Nursing” and a certificate in the field of “Pharmacy (retail sale of medicines)”.

Rules for providing marketing services Manufacturers and importers of drugs can receive similar services from pharmacies exclusively on a voluntary basis – it is forbidden to initiate or demand them as a mandatory condition of cooperation. This refers to transparent mechanisms for the promotion of medicines at points of sale without affecting the composition, quality or cost of medicines.

The decision creates equal conditions of competition for manufacturers, primarily Ukrainian ones, and makes it possible to legally and transparently promote more affordable medicines, which were often less visible to consumers. At the same time, the launch of the National Price List makes it impossible to use marketing as a tool to covertly increase the cost of medicines: the set prices are unchanged, and promotion becomes a means of informing and increasing accessibility for patients.

The adopted decisions are part of the plan to reduce and stabilize the prices of medicines, approved by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated February 12, 2025 “On additional measures to ensure the availability of medicines for Ukrainians” and put into effect by the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 82/2025.

How to file a complaint about inflated prices for medicines From March 1, by the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, checks on the prices of medicinal products at pharmacies have been resumed and the State Production and Consumer Service is conducting control.

Every citizen has the right to apply to the State Production and Consumer Service and its regional bodies, in case of detection of situations of sale of medicinal products at inflated prices. To do this, you need to specify the following information in the application:

• the name of the business entity, its organizational and legal form (FOP, LLC, PP, etc.) and the location of the pharmacy;
• a list of overpriced medicines;
• copies of relevant documents (checks, receipts, photos of price tags, etc.).

The list of medicines for which the prices have been reduced can be found at the link on the official website of the Ministry of Health. To submit an appeal to the territorial bodies of the State Production and Consumer Service, consumers can use any method: by phone, to a postal or e-mail address, as well as fill out an electronic form.

If you decide to use a postal or e-mail address, we offer you to use the application (complaint) form. Please note that the written application must be signed by the applicant with an indication of the date.