Ukraine faces the risk of losing essential medical supplies, warns the "Tabletki" Foundation.

Ukraine risks losing vital medications, - the "Tabletki" Foundation

New administrative regulations for the pharmaceutical market could lead to a significant decline in the quality of treatment in Ukraine.

This was stated by the director of the "Tabletki" Foundation, Vyacheslav Bykov, as reported by RBK-Ukraine.

"In the context of medicinal products, a generic does not always mean the same. Sometimes even the same substance, in the same dosage and form, but from a different manufacturer, can perform worse than the original drug. It is also important to note the presence of impurities and excipients. Cheaper medications can imply a higher risk of intolerance or allergic reactions. I know of several cases where doctors have widely refused to use cheap drugs that were acquired through state procurement precisely for this reason. If cheap generics replace original medications in Ukraine, we can expect a decline in quality of life during and after treatment," said Bykov.

He also warned that the new pharmaceutical market regulations could provoke the disappearance of essential drugs from the market, particularly imported ones, as manufacturers may lose interest in the Ukrainian market due to unfavorable conditions. According to him, producers received a signal not about comfortable conditions for market entry, but rather warnings, resulting in neither new drugs nor new protocols emerging in the near future.

"One thing is certain - our market will become less attractive to most reputable pharmaceutical companies," Bykov emphasized.

In his opinion, instead of making medications more accessible and affordable, there could be an opposite effect - the disappearance of expensive drugs from the official Ukrainian market and their price increase on the black market.

To prevent negative consequences, he suggests simplifying the market entry process for new drugs instead of imposing administrative restrictions, recognizing EU registration as sufficient for importing medications into Ukraine, and introducing a Track&Trace system to combat counterfeiting. According to Bykov, this approach would increase supply, stimulating competition and consequently lowering prices.