The AMCU within the scope of its powers conducted a research on the markets of antiviral pharmaceutical products and markets of medical devices used for personal protection, having reviewed the submission of the Pharmaceutical Markets Division of the Research and Investigation of the Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical and Retail Markets Department of March 25, 2020, No. dated 27.03.2020 No. 126-01/143-п, in connection with the announcement of COVID-19 pandemic by the WHO. This was made for performance of the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of March 06, 2020 No. 9920/0/1-20, in connection with the social importance of matters related to the availability for the population, including price affordability, of pharmaceutical products and medical devices.
On March 31, 2020, the AMCU provided recommendations, mandatory for consideration by the participants of the pharmaceutical market, on taking measures in order to prevent breaches of the law on the protection of economic competition, namely to refrain from any actions that may suggest violation of the law on the protection of economic competition, including but not limited to the actions listed in these recommendations, which will lead to the rise in prices for imported and domestic goods (with regard to the influence on the price of the import component in the production) at a rate that will outperform the increase in the foreign currency rate.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine must be informed about the results of consideration of these recommendations within ten days from the date of their receipt.
The recommendations of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine shall be mandatory for consideration by the authorities or persons to whom they were provided.
The recommendations are provided to:
- domestic manufacturers and importers (26 business entities)
- domestic distributors (7 business entities)
- networks of pharmacies (20 business entities)
The full text of the recommendations is available at the following link.