Amid “pharmaceutical reforms,” pharmacies stop operating mobile units
13 August 20:31
The 9-1-1 pharmacy chain is suspending the operation of mobile pharmacies in two regions – Kharkiv and Kherson. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to a press release received from the pharmaceutical chain.
The Apteka 9-1-1 network was the first in Ukraine to introduce the format of mobile pharmacies, which have been serving Kharkiv, Kherson, and Sumy regions since January 2024. It was a project with a clear social purpose: to provide medicines to small settlements where there are no stationary pharmacies and where residents often had to travel tens of kilometers to get access to the necessary medicines.
Mobile pharmacy units (MPUs) worked most effectively in the frontline areas in the south and east of the country. The problem of access to medical services is particularly acute here, as regular shelling and damaged infrastructure make the supply of medicines difficult and the need for them is constant.
Financial hit due to changes in market regulation
However, the project has faced serious financial challenges. Recent legislative changes in the pharmaceutical market, including increased regulation and the abolition of marketing contracts, have led to a decrease in revenues from inpatient pharmacies. These revenues covered the costs of maintaining and operating mobile pharmacies.
According to the network’s representatives, the situation has become critical: financing of the MAPs in the current environment has become impossible without additional sources of support. As a result, they decided to suspend their work in Kherson and part of Kharkiv regions.
In the Kherson region, residents of 52 settlements lost access to medicines, including the communities of Velyko Oleksandrivska, Vysokopilska, Novovorontsovska, Kalynivska, Borozenska, Kochubeivska and Mylivska. For these territories, MAPs were almost the only channel for obtaining medicines, especially for the chronically ill and elderly.
In Kharkiv region, there is currently only one mobile pharmacy serving 92 villages. However, due to the optimization of the schedule, the pharmacy vehicle now visits each village no more than once every 17 days. The network has already warned that in the absence of stable funding, this MAP may cease operations.
Optimization in the pharmaceutical sector and the MAP: what are the prospects?
Experts in the pharmaceutical market emphasize that the closure of mobile pharmacies in the frontline areas poses serious social risks. In addition to worsening access to medicines, it may increase the burden on local healthcare facilities that are already working in extremely difficult conditions.
If the government or international humanitarian organizations do not intervene and provide funding for such projects, thousands of villagers will be left without access to basic medicines.
Economic consequences of stopping mobile pharmacies for the regions
In addition, the suspension of the operation of mobile pharmacies “Pharmacies 9-1-1” in Kherson and part of Kharkiv regions will have not only humanitarian but also economic consequences.
First, local residents will be forced to spend more time and money traveling to the nearest stationary pharmacies, which in frontline regions often involves not only additional transportation costs but also security risks. This reduces the level of economic activity in communities, as part of the population’s working time will be spent on addressing basic needs instead of participating in production or service processes.
Secondly, the lack of regular access to medicines increases the risk of poor health, especially among the elderly and patients with chronic diseases. This will potentially lead to an increase in the costs of medical care for the state and international organizations, as well as an increase in the burden on hospitals that are already operating under stress.
Third, in terms of economic feasibility, mobile pharmacies were a tool to support consumer demand in communities. They have created additional jobs, provided cash flow in local economies, and stimulated related industries, including logistics and supply. Stopping this supply chain means that local economies will lose some of their turnover and employment may decline.
Finally, this case demonstrates the vulnerability of socially important projects to changes in regulatory policy. The cancellation of marketing agreements and increased regulation that caused the financial crisis in the chain sends a signal to other players in the pharmaceutical market: without stable government support, innovative and socially oriented business models may not be sustainable.
Read also: The Rada told when to expect cheaper medicines and why antibiotics have risen in price in Ukraine
Pharmacies suspend the work of mobile points: context
on February 12, 2025, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine adopted a decision “On Additional Measures to Ensure the Availability of Medicines for Ukrainians”. The Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 82/2025 put this decision into effect.
The NSDC Council took note of the intention of pharmaceutical market participants to reduce prices by 30% starting from March 1, 2025 for the most popular drugs.
The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to:
- set maximum markups: wholesale markups – no more than 10%, retail markups – up to 35%. This should be formalized in amendments to Resolution No. 955 of 2008 and will be effective from March 1, 2025;
- to introduce a ban on marketing and promotional services for pharmacies until the introduction of a single wholesale pricing system.
The NSDC, in turn, instructed the Government to develop a draft law on amendments to the Law on Medicines within two weeks to be implemented on January 1, 2027, and to prepare a draft law on the implementation of the so-called Bolar Rule, which is an accelerated registration of biosimilars, within a month.
It was also planned to support the draft laws “On Registration of Medicines for Healthcare Facilities” (Reg. No. 11493) and “On Improvement of Patent Legislation in the Context of Martial Law ” (Reg. No. 9383) in the Parliament.
For the purpose of state monitoring of the quality of drug circulation, the Ministry of Health and the NHSU were instructed to monitor the supply of medicines to medical institutions on a monthly basis under the Medical Guarantees Program.
Thus, the Antimonopoly Committee strengthened its control over the pricing of socially important medicines, and the prosecutor’s office and law enforcement agencies were recommended to detect abuses and non-transparent pricing at all stages of the drug circulation.
It was expected that such changes in the “rules of the game” in the pharmaceutical market would lead to the following results:
- a 30% reduction in prices, which could significantly increase the availability of medicines, especially for socially vulnerable groups;
- marginal markups will limit the margins of distributors and pharmacies, which should stabilize the retail price”
- acceleration of registration of medicines under the Bolar Rule and simplified support at the legislative level, which should stimulate competition, especially among brands, analogs and generics;
- strengthening control over promotional services and costs will lead to market transparency and reduce administrative costs.
However, as experts explain, strict state regulation without a compensation mechanism can cause shortages, delays in imports, and increase the burden on the budget.
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