Kyrgyzstan to Purchase Medicines Directly from Russian Manufacturers
Kyrgyzstan to Purchase Medicines Directly from Russian Manufacturing Plants
Kyrgyzstan is making plans to begin purchasing medicines directly from Russian manufacturing plants in the near future, announced the Minister of Health, Alymkadyr Beishenaliev. He revealed to reporters that negotiations have already taken place, with specialists from Kyrgyzstan meeting with representatives of pharmaceutical companies and plant directors in Russia.
Beishenaliev is set to travel to Novosibirsk on February 14, followed by a meeting in Moscow with Russian pharmaceutical company representatives. This move comes after Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko visited Kyrgyzstan in November 2023 to discuss the issue of medicines supplies in detail.
The Minister of Health emphasized that Kyrgyzstan will purchase medicines directly from the factories that produce them. Beishenaliev added that the decision to purchase drugs is linked to the establishment of the Kyrgyzfarmatsiya state enterprise, which manages the network of state pharmacies in the country.
The creation of Kyrgyzfarmatsiya was not driven by a goal to make money, Beishenaliev explained. Instead, its purpose is to ensure that medicines are more affordable for the public. The state enterprise only adds 5 percent to the manufacturer’s price, while private pharmacies add a much higher markup, ranging from 25 to 50 percent.
According to Beishenaliev, private pharmaceutical companies in Kyrgyzstan have independently regulated prices on the market for the past 30 years, resulting in inflated prices and shortages of certain medications in private pharmacies. With the creation of Kyrgyzfarmatsiya, the government aims to cut out the middleman and purchase medicines directly from manufacturers, making them more affordable for the public. As a result, the prices of medicines are expected to be 25-30 percent lower.
