As previously reported by Spot, on January 28, Shavkat Mirziyoyev issued a decree aimed at the development of Uzbekistan's pharmaceutical industry.

The President mandated that starting from April 1, tariffs on medicines made from mixed or unmixed products for use for therapeutic or preventive purposes, packaged in the form of dosed medicines or for retail sale (HS code 3004), will be implemented.

The new tariff rate is set at 2% of the customs value. As noted by “Gazeta.uz,” this will affect approximately 1500 types of medicinal products with international non-proprietary names.

According to the explanations for code 3004, it applies to preparations available in retail-ready forms, such as tablets, capsules, ampoules ranging from 1.25 to 10 milliliters, drops, ointments, and powders in single doses. Specifically, the following are included under code 3004:

  • antibiotics in finished form (amoxicillin, azithromycin, ceftriaxone);
  • analgesics and anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen, paracetamol, diclofenac);
  • antivirals (oseltamivir, remdesivir);
  • hormonal medications (insulin, prednisolone, thyroxine);
  • cardiological drugs (atenolol, captopril, amlodipine);
  • anti-diabetic medications (metformin, glibenclamide);
  • antihistamines (cetirizine, loratadine);
  • oncological agents (paclitaxel, tamoxifen);
  • vitamins and dietary supplements classified as medicinal products.

The head of state also ordered the introduction of a new pricing mechanism in the pharmaceutical sales sector. Starting April 1, maximum retail markups will not be applied to the wholesale and retail sale of over-the-counter medications.

For prescription medications, the markup for wholesale sales is capped at 15%, and for retail sales, it is capped at 20% of the base (purchase) price, regardless of the number of intermediaries.

The existing system for setting reference prices for local and imported drugs will remain in place. For medicines with similar compositions produced by the same manufacturer under different names, the lowest reference price will be applied.

The Center for Pharmaceutical Product Safety under the Ministry of Health will automatically review the reference prices of drugs fixed in foreign currency:

  • when the exchange rate of foreign currency rises by 3% compared to the level at which the last reference price was set - annually in January and July;
  • when the exchange rate rises by 5% compared to the specified level - prematurely.

Previously, Spot reported that the Competition Committee identified price inflation for medicines in 1300 pharmacies.