Pharmacy sales in Ukraine in January-September 2018 in monetary terms increased by 30% compared to the same period in 2017, to UAH 61.788 billion. Business Credit company told Interfax-Ukraine, in natural terms sales for the specified period increased by a mere 1%, to 1.124 million packs, while the weighted average price rose by 28%, to UAH 55 per unit of goods. According to the company, retail sales of medicines in January-September in monetary terms increased by 32%, to UAH 50.805 billion, in natural terms by 10%, to 754.352 million packs. The weighted average price of medicines in the first nine months of 2018 was UAH 67.4 per product unit.
As reported, in the first half of 2018 pharmacy sales in Ukraine in monetary terms were up by 36% compared to the same period in 2017 and amounted to UAH 43.011 billion, while sales in real terms by 5%, to 780.737 million packs.
Retail sales of drugs in the first half of the year in monetary terms grew by 38%, to UAH 35.454 billion, in natural terms by 16%, to 530.846 million packs.
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada on Thursday, October 18, passed the Code of Bankruptcy Procedures of Ukraine (bill No. 8060) with 237 supportive votes, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported. “Thanks to the adoption of the code we would climb 10 positions in Doing Business,” Head of the parliamentary committee for economic policy Andriy Ivanchuk said, presenting the bill. Representing the code, the deputy said that the document is structured into four books. According to him, the first book regulates the general provisions and deadlines, the second – the activities of the self-governing organization of arbitration managers, the third – the issues of bankruptcy of legal entities.
“And the fourth book is a novelty in the Ukrainian legislation, earlier the country did not have it – it is the bankruptcy of individuals,” Ivanchuk said.
He said that this book provides an opportunity for individuals – bona fide borrowers in the event of a difficult economic situation to initiate a bankruptcy procedure and get rid of this debt obligation, while the lender is deprived of this right.
Ivanchuk said that more than 1,300 amendments were received to this bill for the second reading, of which approximately 40% were rejected. According to him, when the code was finalized, its structure was changed: the entire notions were removed from the bill, for example, the amicable agreement, and all remarks related to the amicable agreement lost their relevance.
The head of the committee said that a block of amendments on the introduction of an automated arrest of accounts was rejected, as it had not previously received support in parliament.
“Most of the amendments on the introduction of a unified electronic registry of debtors were rejected. In the process of discussion and in-depth analysis, we were shown fears that there might be a leak of confidential information about legal entities, especially individuals,” Ivanchuk also said.
According to him, many questions were transferred to the level of bylaws, in particular, the specification of the regulation of the procedure for the sale of the debtor’s property.
First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Maksym Nefyodov said that the adopted document provides for the sale of bankrupt property at transparent electronic auctions of the ProZorro.Sales system. The head of the committee also said that the code would be enacted in six months.
Immediately before the vote, Ivanchuk reported that the Main Legal Department of the Verkhovna Rada prepared its comments on the document, which the committee promptly took into account on the evening of October 17. In this regard, he read another five pages of amendments with which the code was adopted.
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has approved a resolution on the conclusions and proposals to a bill on the national budget for 2019 drawn up by the parliamentary budget committee, which means the adoption of the draft national budget at first reading. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that a total of 240 MPs backed the budget conclusions of the Verkhovna Rada. In addition, MPs on Thursday approved at first reading bill No. 9084 from the so-called budget package. The bill amends the Budget Code.
According to the Budget Code and the regulations of the Verkhovna Rada, the draft national budget for the next year should be adopted at first reading before October 20, although last year it happened only on November 14. After that, the Cabinet of Ministers, with the participation of the parliamentary budget committee, should, within 14 days, but no later than November 3, submit an updated draft to the Rada, taking into account its budget conclusions with a comparative table and explanations of the reasons for refusing individual proposals of the parliament.
Consideration of the draft national budget for 2019 at second reading should be completed before November 20, and at third reading with final approval – before December 1.
Dragon Capital Investments Limited (Nicosia, Cyprus) and the Goldman Sachs Group (New York, the United States) are buying the Alladin shopping and entertainment center and the Platinum class B six-story business center adjacent to the shopping center located at 3A, Hryshka Street in Darnytsky district in Kyiv. According to the agenda of a meeting of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine scheduled for October 18, the regulator is to permit Dragon Capital Investments Limited and the Goldman Sachs Group to acquire an indirect joint control over Royalty-Rent LLC (Kyiv).
Retail & Development Advisor, acting as a broker in the deal, on Wednesday wrote on its Facebook page that the deal to acquire the Platinum business center with an area of 4,100 square meters by Dragon Capital was finalized.
Britain’s Meyer Bergman acquired the Alladin shopping center in 2008 for $60 million. The area of the facility is 10,500 square meters.
According to the unified public register, as of October 18, 2018, participants in Royalty-Rent LLC were Leadnra Holdings Limited (99.98%), Fortbridge Limited (1.01%) and Royalty-Rent-Co-Invest LLC (0.01%).
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said that today Ukraine is a very strong player in the field of innovation, and the Ukrainian IT sector shows an increase of about 20% annually. “We need to increase dynamic growth, and we need new investments for this goal. Of course, we need new technologies and not only technologies that we can borrow, but I think that many people will agree that today Ukraine is a very strong player in the field of innovation,” he said at the Kyiv International Economic Forum on Thursday. The premier added that in the innovation sector, the country is showing dynamic growth, in particular, a significant increase is shown by the IT sector – about 20% annually.
“We understand that new technologies are in conflict with the number of jobs,” Groysman added.
At the same time, he stressed that in Ukraine there are sectors where new jobs are created, and official unemployment in the country is falling.
The premier also predicted a shortage of labor in the future.
Groysman noted that there are areas in Ukraine that have the 10-12-fold potential for growth, which allows it to be quite competitive in investment.
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
