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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
In Ukraine, due to Russian strikes on warehouses and complicated logistics, there have been disruptions in the supply of 36 a number of medicines, including hormonal drugs, oral contraceptives, and cardiovascular medicines. There is no general medicine shortage on the market, as thousands of other drugs are consistently supplied. This was stated by the director of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health. Manufacturers and distributors are already replenishing stocks of the problematic positions.
The situation with medicine supply was discussed by Edem Adamov, director of the State Enterprise Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, in an interview with Suspline. As Adamov noted, the Ukrainian pharmaceutical market has almost 12 thousand names of medicinal products, and approximately 7500-8000 of them are delivered to pharmacies without interruptions.
"Of these 7500 positions, indeed, because warehouses are being destroyed, distribution of medicines is substantially disrupted in 36. These are certain hormonal products, certain oral contraceptives. We are in contact with distributors, manufacturers, importers. And they replenish these stocks as quickly as possible," explained Edem Adamov, director of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health.
Adamov reported that a week earlier Ukraine recorded a shortage of some combined oral contraceptives, but a new batch of these medicines has already arrived in the country and, after quality checks, will reach pharmacies. The director emphasized that temporary supply difficulties are not the same as a general deficit of medicines, and urged Ukrainians not to stockpile medicines, as this provokes artificial shortages in some regions.
"Please buy only the amount you need. I understand people are emotional, because they worry, they want to have a reserve," noted Edem Adamov.
Due to mass buying of medicines, suppliers are forced to deliver new batches from European logistics centers more quickly, which can increase company costs. At the same time, Adamov assured that a rapid rise in medicine prices due to warehouse destruction is not expected, because Ukraine has a National Price Catalog that provides price regulation mechanisms for medicines.
Simplified import of medicines from other markets
To ensure stable medicine supply, Ukraine has eased some import procedures: it is now allowed to bring in products in packaging intended for other European countries if there is a Ukrainian-language instruction. In addition, for medicines manufactured in countries with strict regulatory norms — in particular in the EU, the United States, Canada, and Japan — simplified quality control procedures apply.
Adamov noted that when a particular brand is not available in a pharmacy, that does not necessarily mean treatment cannot continue, since often there are generics with the same active ingredient. At the same time, patients are not advised to replace prescribed medicines on their own — before choosing an alternative, they should consult a doctor, especially regarding hormonal products, contraceptives, or cardiovascular medicines.
Earlier, Informator reported that due to the threat of shortages some medicines may disappear from pharmacies because of supply problems. We also wrote that medicine shortages in Ukraine due to strikes on pharma warehouses were commented on by industry experts, who explained the scale of the problem for the pharmacy network. Additionally, Informator reported that rising medicine prices became one of the consequences of Russian strikes on Ukrainian pharma warehouses.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Контрацептиви та гормональні препарати в дефіциті - в експертному центрі МОЗ пояснили причини перебоїв з постачанням ліків". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Informator.
