Five pharmacy chains control up to 85% of the market: Expert explains the impact on medications prices

In Ukraine, the five largest pharmacy chains control 80-85% of the market, which has a direct impact on medications prices.

This was emphasized by Petro Bahriy, President of the Association “Manufacturers of Medications of Ukraine”, during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine.

“As for pharmacy chains, today we have five large networks, which, as everyone knows, control 80-85% of the market. There is competition among them, so it’s not a completely monopolized market. Each network has its own pricing policy,” explains Bahriy.

According to him, marketing agreements between pharmacies and manufacturers are an important factor in pricing.

“Since the pharmaceutical market is largely generic, many manufacturers produce the same active ingredient, the same product, and they compete for shelf space in pharmacies. This leads to so-called marketing agreements, where manufacturers have to pay bonuses to get their products on the shelves. Whoever pays the highest premiums secures a place. As a result, medications prices rise and we as patients end up paying too much,” he noted.

The expert stressed that this issue requires government regulation to protect consumer interests.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news