Abnormal demand for antibiotics leads government to consider export ban

A panel of health ministry officials and specialized associations discussed the issue of a possible shortage of antibiotics in Ukraine, the demand for which has grown rapidly over the latest period – four- to tenfold in certain categories.

"Health officials say the abnormal hike in demand for these drugs has been provoked by media reports claiming that antimicrobial drugs are running out both in retail networks and in the hospital sector," the Association of Medicine Producers of Ukraine reported Tuesday, December 1.

Wholesale distributors are thus unable to fulfill the terms of contracts concluded with pharmacies and hospitals, and are now facing penalties.

Read alsoUkrainian businesses facing more difficulties in 2020 – pollThe Ministry of Health proposed several ways to prevent panic and ensure uninterrupted supplies to hospitals, including through a government order for the manufacture of drugs from the "covid list" by a streamlined procedure, without bidding, through direct procurement.

One of the proposals is to ban exports of antibiotics by analogy with the introduction of restrictive measures with respect to the export of PPE. It is noted that such a decision can be made within one day.

In turn, drug manufacturers declared that it was inexpedient to ban exports, since the share of production of exported medicines is insignificant compared to the domestic demand.

Manufacturers have also warned about possible mirror measures on the part of other countries, in particular on banning supplies of precursors.

Read alsoStepanov: Health sector needs financing at 5% of GDP to start "coming out of coma""In general, the parties agreed on the need to meet the growing demand, the manufacturers expressed their readiness to fulfill the government order for the supply of the required volume of drugs, subject to state guarantees, while the Ministry of Health took time to prepare the government's proposals to respond," the report reads.