Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
There is currently no general shortage of medicines in Ukraine, but interruptions may occur with certain expensive and rare medicines that have few alternatives or depend on imported supplies. Concerns about medicine shortages have increased due to a series of Russian strikes on pharmaceutical warehouses, and the situation affects specific manufacturers and lots of goods. This was stated in an interview on the Apostroph TV channel by Ukraine's Minister of Health in 2019-2020 years, the head of the agency Right and Health, Zoryana Skalecka. According to her, messages about inventories of certain medicines lasting only two to three weeks do not reflect the overall picture on the pharmaceutical market. A more difficult situation, according to the expert, may arise with medicines that have few analogues.
Apostroph spoke with Skalecka about the situation on the pharmaceutical market. It concerns medicines for treating rare diseases or expensive drugs that are imported in small batches from specific manufacturers.
"Two to three weeks is not about the overall picture, but about certain medicines of specific manufacturers. Some manufacturers, certain medicines at certain warehouses could have been delivered in batches, and within two to three weeks they will deliver new ones," noted Ukraine's minister of health in 2019-2020 years Zoryana Skalecka.
Skalecka emphasized that there is no critical situation with basic medicines. The Ukrainian market has a sufficient number of alternative medicinal products, and logistics between regions allow for the rapid movement of medicines from one warehouse to another.
"If we are talking about medicines produced in Ukraine by several manufacturers and having an alternative, for example ibuprofen, such patients will not have access problems," explained Skalecka.
According to her, even in the case of destruction of a separate warehouse or pharmacy, necessary medicines can be delivered from other regions, and online ordering and delivery help patients obtain medicines that are temporarily unavailable in a particular locality. Patients are not dependent on a single manufacturer, because inventories are distributed among different warehouses and regions of the country. Skalecka also explained that in a critical situation, for example in the absence of insulin, a person can be hospitalized — hospitals have reserves of medicines for those who cannot obtain medicines on an outpatient basis.
The expert advised not to stockpile excessively. People who regularly take certain medicines can keep about a one-month supply, but it is not worth buying medicines for a longer term.
"It is no longer recommended, because we do not know what weather conditions will be in the heating season over the next three to four months. We do not know what the economic situation will be, and funds should be spent planfully and wisely," emphasized Zoryana Skalecka.
Which medicines fall into the risk group
Experts consider those most vulnerable to be medicines with a limited number of suppliers. At risk are:
medicines without full-fledged market analogues;
drugs with a small number of suppliers;
medicines with strict storage temperature requirements;
medicines for chronic diseases that are taken continuously;
hormonal therapy products and medicines for the cardiovascular system.
It is precisely these items where local interruptions could be most noticeable if attacks on pharma logistics continue.
Final conclusions about the scale of the problem, according to pharmaceutical market experts, can be drawn only in the autumn, when it becomes clear whether the current losses are one-off or create a systemic pressure on prices and the availability of medicines. Until then, the final price of medicines in pharmacies will depend not only on the manufacturer but also on the pricing policy of the networks themselves.
Earlier, Informator reported that due to strikes on pharmaceutical warehouses, the Pharmaceutical Professional Association of Ukraine already registered increased demand for medicines for chronic diseases and the appearance of shortages of some positions, although the head of the board of the European Pharmaceutical Association Oleksandr Komaryda emphasized that there should be no global deficit.
We also wrote that pharmacies are preparing stocks in case of disruptions, and Ukrainians with chronic diseases are advised to keep a three-month supply of essential medications at home.
In addition, Informator wrote that in two thirds of pharmacies violations were found — the State Consumer Service checked 2026 year, eight months 749 and almost 66,5% of them violated state-regulated prices.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Дефіцит ліків в Україні - які препарати можуть зникнути з аптек". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Informator.
