Expensive medications: reference prices are not consistently followed everywhere.

The Pharmaceutical Product Safety Center under the Ministry of Health regularly updates information regarding the maximum prices for domestic and imported medications. This data is published on the center's official Telegram channel. Pharmacies involved in retail are well-informed about these lists, while most of the population likely remains unaware of their existence.

As a result, instances of price gouging on medications continue to occur. For instance, the drug "Almagel," imported from Bulgaria, is listed with a maximum price of 34,363 sums, yet it is sold in one pharmacy for 75,000 sums.

The drug "Mikan," produced in Uzbekistan, has a set price of 24,840 sums, but in some pharmacies in the capital, its cost does not drop below 35,000 sums.

Many find it helpful to use services like "Arzon Apteka" and "Oson Apteka" (website, mobile app, and Telegram bot) for searching for medications and checking prices. The prices of the medications mentioned in this article were verified through these services, as well as by calling pharmacies. For example, it was found that the drug "Mikan" is indeed sold for 37,900 sums.

By comparing maximum and actual prices, one can discover numerous similar cases.

Here are a few more examples. The tablets "Bromhexine Berlin Chemie," with a set price of 17,560 sums, are sold for 24,000 sums. The drug "Nazivin" from Portugal, which should not exceed 30,000 sums, costs nearly 45,000 sums. The drug "Avamis," with a maximum price of 139,000 sums, is sold in some pharmacies for 215,000–235,000 sums.

Tablets "Tabex" from Bulgaria should cost no more than 256,803 sums, but in some pharmacies in Tashkent, their price reaches 401,000 sums. The drug "Supralgon" from Georgia, with an established price of around 24,000 sums, is sold for 32,500 sums. Meanwhile, "Multi-tabs Baby" from Turkey, which should cost up to 60,000 sums, is sold for 248,000–350,000 sums.

The drug "Loroben," with a reference price of 83,000 sums, is sold in Tashkent for 150,000 sums, while in the Kashkadarya region, it can be purchased for 65,000 sums, and in Termez, for 100,000 sums.

It is important to note that if a medication is purchased at an inflated price, the excess amount paid can be refunded. For this, one needs to take a receipt with a QR code from the pharmacy and scan it in the tax service's mobile application. The "Fair Tech" system of the Competition Committee will automatically compare the actual price with the reference price, and in case of violation, the excess funds will be refunded. The receipt with the QR code must indicate the exact name of the purchased medication.

According to a survey conducted by a correspondent from Kun.uz, many citizens take receipts but do not register them in the mobile application. Sometimes pharmacy staff do not issue receipts, citing various reasons.

"I always try to take a receipt; it's my responsibility. But sometimes, if you buy many medications, they don't give a receipt, citing different reasons," shared one survey participant.

Reference prices can be found on the website of the Pharmaceutical Agency. A mobile application, UzPharmInfo, is also available, but it only works on iOS. The Android version is outdated and is not supported on many devices.

If the application is updated and its promotion improves, it would be a significant step forward. Additionally, conducting inspections based on data from online services could reduce instances of price inflation.

Since the beginning of the year, the "Fair Tech" system of the Competition Committee has identified over 100,000 cases of price inflation on medications, returning approximately 7 billion sums to consumers.

Shakhzod Urokboev,
Kun.uz