Medicines in kiosks: Rada explains initiative to sell medicines outside pharmacies
22 October 18:35
EXCLUSIVE
Ukrainian MP Serhiy Kuzminykh has put forward a legislative initiative to allow the sale of medicines outside of pharmacies. The MP’s proposal was supported by the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Budget. Instead, a scandal erupted on social media, claiming that from now on, medicines will be sold in supermarkets and kiosks, which is fraught with counterfeiting and lack of quality control.
However, this is not entirely true, Kuzminykh explained in a commentary to "Komersant Ukrainian" journalists. “We are talking only about the so-called simplified release medicines: painkillers, antipyretics, antiseptics and other products that do not require a doctor’s prescription.
The point is that some of the over-the-counter medicines, the list of which is determined by the Ministry of Health, should be sold outside the pharmacy, subject to the rules of pharmaceutical control. Paracetamol, ibuprofen, etc.,” he said.
Mr. Kuzminykh explained that this practice is common in most European countries, where OTC drugs can be purchased not only in pharmacies but also in supermarkets or shops, subject to strict storage and control requirements.
In Ukraine, however, all drugs are currently sold only through pharmacies. According to the MP, his initiative should make medicines more accessible to people in remote areas and at the same time reduce the cost of some drugs through competition.
The Kuzmins’ initiative sparked a flurry of discussions, which were joined by well-known experts and telegram channels.
Economist Oleksiy Kushch, for example, said that this initiative poses a serious danger to the public and at the same time benefits large drug manufacturers.
However, Kuzminykh denies this and says that it is not about chaos, but about the availability of medicines on the market.
Pharmaceuticals on the Ukrainian market
It is worth noting that the Ukrainian pharmaceutical market has been experiencing a confrontation between drug manufacturers and pharmacies for several months now.
The root of the conflict lies in the changes in the regulation of the pharmaceutical market initiated by the government to reduce drug prices.
on February 12, 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on additional measures to ensure the availability of medicines, which provided for a 30% reduction in prices for the TOP 100 drugs and a ban on marketing payments between manufacturers and pharmacies.
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However, even before these measures formally came into force , Darnitsa raised the prices of its drugs by 120% at the end of 2024, which became a catalyst for the conflict.
Since March 1, 2025, the five largest pharmacy chains – ANC, Podorozhnyk, Apteka 9-1-1, Bazhaemo Zdorovya and Dobroho Dnia – have drastically reduced purchases of Darnitsa’s products, controlling about 70% of the retail pharmaceutical market. Since then, public battles between manufacturers, pharmacies and distributors have been going on. And all this has already led to significant economic losses.
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