7 million Ukrainian refugees need access to Ukrainian medicines in the EU, - Dmytro Shymkiv

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, about 7 million Ukrainians were forced to leave the country during 100 days of war. They need to continue treatment of chronic and seasonal diseases with the habitual medicines, in the usual dosages. Unfortunately, Ukrainian citizens cannot easily visit a doctor and get a prescription in every EU country. That is why it is extremely important to provide Ukrainians abroad with access to habitual Ukrainian medicines.

This was stated by Dmytro Shymkiv, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of pharmaceutical company “Darnitsa” at the international event “Cooperate with Ukraine: medical sector and pharmaceutical industry”, held by the European Network of Enterprises of Ukraine in June.

The event was organized with the participation of the Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine on European integration, representatives of the European Commission, The Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the European Network of Enterprises of Ukraine, the Red Cross Society of Ukraine, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian pharmaceutical business. The meeting focused on expanding cooperation between the medical and pharmaceutical sectors in the EU and Ukraine.

Another important aspect under discussion is the lack of recognition of Ukrainian results of inspections of their manufacture for compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements at the EU level. Therefore, Ukrainian pharmaceutical manufacturers are forced to undergo repeated inspections and quality control of batches of medicines in the EU, which requires additional time and resources and has a negative impact on the competitiveness of Ukrainian medicines.

“We, in “Darnitsa”, like our colleagues in the sector, have a European GMP certification. However, the process of entering the EU market is extremely difficult for Ukrainian manufacturers. The Ukrainian pharmaceutical industry provides jobs for many people and generates tax revenues for the country, therefore simplification of the certification process for Ukrainian manufacturers will be a direct support for the Ukrainian economy,” highlighted Dmytro Shymkiv.

As it was reported earlier, the Ministry of Health in the framework of cooperation with the World Health Organization initiated a dialogue on simplified prequalification of medicines manufactured by Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies during the war. Thanks to the simplified prequalification, Ukrainian manufacturers will be able to enter a wider market and become more competitive for the WHO`s purchases.

Reference

PJSC Pharmaceutical Company “Darnitsa” was founded in 1930. Since 1998, “Darnitsa” has been Ukraine`s leader in the production of medicines in volume terms. The strategic areas of portfolio development are cardiology, neurology and pain management. During the war period the company donated about 1.4 mln packages of medicines valued at almost 120 mln hryvnias to the needs of Ministry of Health, medical organizations and charity funds.