Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Recently, there has been an acute shortage of the antiviral drug Remdesivir and the influenza vaccine Influvac in the republic. The rise in prices for these drugs has reached today up to 1,800,000 soums and 250,000 soums, respectively.

In accordance with the resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan from 31 October 2016 No.PP-2647, the Agency for the Protection of Consumer Rights under the Antimonopoly Committee was entrusted with the task of exercising systemic control over the compliance of wholesale and retail organizations selling medicines and medical products with the established procedure for state regulation of prices for them.

In accordance with this resolution, the procedure for applying maximum trade markups by wholesale and retail facilities has also been established. Thus, pharmacies do not have the right to establish a surcharge on drugs sold in the amount of more than 20% of the wholesale cost at which they purchase them. Wholesale companies, in turn, do not have the right to set a trade markup of more than 15% of the base price, i.e. the prices at which the drug was imported or produced in Uzbekistan.

The Agency conducted a study, during which the following was established.

In just 9 months of 2020, the drug Remdesivir was imported into the republic by 11 importers, in the amount of 56 109 packs, for a total amount of more than US$2 million.

According to the Agency’s calculations, the minimum retail price for this drug should be 457,000 soums, the maximum - 3,836,000 soums. Average retail price - 1,066,000 soums. This difference is explained by the different declared values of local importers, and also depends on the country of production.

In just 9 months of 2020, Influvac, manufactured in the Netherlands, was imported into the republic by 2 importers, in the amount of 155,490 packages, for a total amount of about US$800,000.

The minimum retail price for this influenza vaccine should be no more than 69,000 soums, the maximum - 102,000 soums. Average retail price is 86,000 soums.

The maximum cost is seen for the 4-valent flu vaccine, the minimum for the 3-valent flu vaccine.

The agency continues to calculate the maximum retail prices for medicines, study the balances of medicines in wholesale warehouses and forecasts for their further delivery, and also take measures to combat overpricing.

The Agency reminds business entities that systematic (two or more times within one year) violations of licensing requirements and conditions by pharmacies, including the order of pricing for medicines, are gross violations, and may be the basis for the licensing authority to terminate the pharmacy’s license.

At the same time, storage, use and sale of unregistered (unreceived) goods, substitution, falsification or destruction of documents testifying to the fact of the sale of goods (services), reflection of the cost of goods sold in accounting documents at reduced prices, than their actual cost of sale entails the imposition of a fine in the amount of twenty percent of the amount hidden (understated) tax base (article 223 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan).

The Agency also kindly asks consumers to inform it about the facts of the sale of drugs at an inflated cost.

The agency will continue to continue to publish information on the maximum permissible retail prices for essential drugs that are so urgently needed by the population in the fight against coronavirus infection.