Price leveling leaves pharmacies without a number of medications

Private pharmacies have been facing a shortage of infusions and some blood pressure medications. The Association of Pharmaceutical and Medical Distributors blamed the Ministry of Health, saying that through price leveling, it has set low prices for these drugs.

For more than a month, pharmacies in Pristina and other municipalities have been lacking physiological solutions, NaCl, and glucose.

Pharmacists from a number of pharmacies visited by KOHA said on condition of anonymity that the lack of these infusions has been evident after the leveling of drug prices, since the law came into effect in February.

The Chamber of Pharmacists has also confirmed the lack of products. The Chamber's President, Kadri Bytyqi, said that the lack of medicines is also making the work of pharmacists more difficult.

"We, as the Chamber, have been saying for two or three months that it will start with the illegal decision of the Ministry of Health, the presence of medicines on the market will begin to fade, and a few days ago we said that this is just the beginning of these shortages and that it could lead to an even worse situation, but I do not believe that it should come to that," said Bytyqi.

In addition to infusions, pharmacies have also reported shortages of a number of blood pressure medications.

The Association of Pharmaceutical and Medical Distributors of Kosovo blamed the Ministry of Health, saying it had set low prices for these drugs.

"We are aware of the shortage of a significant number of medicines in the private sector, as a result of the extremely low prices approved (below the supplier price) by the Commission for the Declaration of Prices at the Ministry of Health, where suppliers have been prevented from permanently supplying and importing these products. In the meantime, the Ministry of Health has issued a new decision by which pharmaceutical distributors or MA holders can apply for a price change/improvement and we believe that this will greatly help us in the continuity of supply and normalization of the market in general with medicines," the association said in a written response.

This association said that the problem lies in the existing stocks created in pharmaceutical warehouses for which the Ministry has not given any deadline or alternative for sale at old prices.

"These stocks were purchased earlier, for which taxes were paid to the state based on the prices purchased/paid and consequently cannot be sold below the cost of supply with significant financial losses. We as the Association have requested several times through written requests and public reactions from the Ministry of Health to allow a period of 3-6 months for the emptying of stocks from warehouses and pharmacies, and from the moment of emptying of old stocks, the import of products at new prices should begin (where possible and profitable)," the response states.

KOHA asked the Ministry of Health about the lack of infusions in pharmacies and whether the pharmaceutical companies and warehouses that have interrupted supply have been identified, but there have been no answers.

The Ministry emphasized that, based on inspections, pharmacies have begun implementing the law on price leveling.

"Shortages in the free market can be caused by products that have not declared a price within the specified period and that cannot be sold by pharmacies without determining the price according to the official list. The Ministry of Health, by decision, has opened the deadline for declaring the prices of products that have not had prices, are new products and for changing the price for those products for which a price has been determined," the Ministry's written response states.

Based on the official list, the Agency for Medical Products and Devices has set prices on the labels of medicinal products for new imports.