The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) has adopted a bill on limiting the circulation of medicines produced in the Russian Federation and Belarus (registration No. 7313).
The adoption of bill No. 7313 at the final reading at a session on Tuesday was supported by 316 MPs with the required 226 votes, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a member of the Holos parliamentary faction, said on his Telegram channel.
As reported, bill No. 7313, which restricts the circulation of medicines produced in the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, and authored by a group of MPs of the Servant of the People faction, including Head of the committee on national health, medical care and medical insurance Mykhailo Radutsky, was registered in the Rada on April 25, 2022.
According to First Deputy Minister of Health Oleksandr Komarida, state registration of medicines (all or selectively determined by the Ministry of Health) of an applicant in Ukraine can be temporarily canceled (registration certificate terminated) if it is established that this applicant or his representative is directly or indirectly related to business entities who are directly or indirectly involved in the production of medicines on the territory of the aggressor state (the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus).
In addition, the registration of the drug may be canceled if, after February 23, 2022, the applicant participated in at least one of the stages of production of any medicinal product or active pharmaceutical ingredients by an enterprise located on the territory of the aggressor state.
The Kusum Charitable Trust (India, part of the Kusum Group) donated 20 tonnes of medicines to Ukraine as humanitarian aid.
The Kusum group told Interfax-Ukraine that humanitarian aid will be sent to help the wounded and injured as a result of the war on the territory of Ukraine.
The list of drugs also included the necessary antibiotics for antipyretics.
“The first part of the aid, which is more than 20 tonnes of vital medicines for a total amount of more than UAH 6 million, was delivered by an Indian Air Force aircraft to a safe area and is on its way to Ukraine,” the Kusum group said.
“Kusum recognizes and appreciates the efforts of the Ukrainian Embassy in India, the Indian Foreign Ministry and the Indian Air Force for their support in delivering this humanitarian aid on time and with the utmost care,” the group said.
The Kusum group of pharmaceutical companies includes four modern plants: three in India and one in Ukraine, as well as two own research centers.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says the government is actively developing mechanisms for stable supplies of food, medicine and essential goods throughout the country.
“Now the government is actively developing mechanisms for stable supplies of food, medicine and essential goods throughout the country,” Shmyhal said in a video message on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the prime minister, at the moment the Coordinating Center for the Provision of Food Products, Medicines, Drinking Water and Fuel is operating under the leadership of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, and the Humanitarian Aid Coordination Center is also operating under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishina.
Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko initiates a meeting of media representatives with the Ministry of Health and the National Security and Defense Council to discuss a future moratorium on the advertising of medicines and medicines.
“Regarding the moratorium on advertising of drugs and medicines, which should be developed by the Cabinet of Ministers on behalf of the National Security and Defense Council. As an ex-media person, I understand perfectly well that this advertising is 30% of the income of TV and other media. That is why the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy will soon initiate a meeting of media people with the Ministry of Health and the National Security and Defense Council to hear the opinion of the media people themselves,” Tkachenko wrote in the Telegram channel.
The Minister also said that any business, including television, should be socially responsible, and self-medication has nothing to do with responsibility in any civilized country.
According to him, the development of the mechanism will last until the end of the year, and the moratorium itself should be introduced by January 1, 2024.
“There is a transition period and it will be used effectively. In the dialogue with the representatives of media companies we will find a way to implement these changes with minimal losses. First of all, for them,” Tkachenko said.
The Ministry of Health, together with the State Service for Medicines and Drug Control, have developed a draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers on the introduction of electronic trade in medicines, Deputy Health Minister Ihor Ivaschenko said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Monday.
“The Ministry of Health, together with the State Medicines Service, developed and submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers a draft resolution on amending the licensing conditions for the implementation of economic activities for the production, import, wholesale and retail trade of medicines, as well as their delivery to the end consumer. This is the so-called introduction of electronic trading in medicines and their delivery to patients,” he said.
Ivaschenko also said that the draft resolution provides for the possibility of entities that carry out retail trade in pharmaceuticals to carry out electronic trade in pharmaceuticals and ensure their delivery to end consumers.
“The draft resolution itself provides for the establishment of appropriate requirements for licensees, which, first of all, will relate to the availability of pharmacies, appropriate premises for the implementation of electronic commerce, the availability of material and technical equipment for transportation and delivery, or the possibility of concluding agreements with postal operators for the implementation of such transportation,” the deputy minister said.
“The draft resolution details the requirements for the website on which orders can be made, as well as requirements for persons who will accept and form orders. Additionally, it sets requirements for the delivery of medicines and the possibility of consulting patients,” Ivaschenko said.
The Health Ministry of Ukraine has allowed clinical testing of four domestic medicines with the aim of studying their effectiveness for patients diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19).
These medicines include Amizon Max, Amixin IC, Bioven and Corvitin, Health Minister of Ukraine Maksym Stepanov said during a press briefing on Monday.
“Some clinical trials are at the final stage. As soon as results are obtained, conclusions on a possibility of using these medicines for treatment of the coronavirus disease will be made,” the ministry said.
The Health Ministry also monitors the information about the development of COVID-19 vaccines in the world. There is no such vaccine at the moment. AstraZeneca has announced its plans to produce the vaccine. Four countries (Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands) have created an alliance and preordered the vaccine.
“Ukraine has also addressed these countries with a request for putting our country on the priority list for obtaining the vaccine when it appears,” the ministry said.
