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On March 28, initiated by the NA Standing Committee on Health Care, a working debate was held. The existing problems in the pharmaceutical market in the Republic of Armenia and opportunities for their solution were at the core.

The RA NA deputies, economic entities operating in the sphere took part in the debate.

The Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Health Care Narek Zeynalyan, presenting the purpose of the debate, has noted that there are many problems in the pharmaceutical market that need to be solved.

Representatives of the companies engaged in the import of medicines in the Republic of Armenia raised the existing problems in the sphere. They singled out the issues related to the import of pharmaceuticals, as well as the import of unregistered pharmaceuticals.

As the economic entities informed, it has been banned to import unregistered pharmaceuticals to Armenia from January 1, which, according to them, will lead to the increase in the prices of pharmaceuticals.

It should be noted that the RA Government adopted the decision on the import of unregistered pharmaceuticals on 3 October 2020, during the martial law conditioned by the Artsakh war. Then, due to COVID, it was extended until December 2021.

The provision on the import of pharmaceuticals in the Law on Medicines is disputable for economic entities. They claim that the above-mentioned provision does not fully work. According to them, the reason is that 100% compliance between imported and registered pharmaceuticals is necessary for obtaining an import permit in the Republic of Armenia. Meanwhile, in the international practice, the import of pharmaceuticals is allowed even when the existing differences between the registered and imported pharmaceuticals do not affect their safety and effectiveness.

The economic entities raised a number of other problems too, with which they are faced.

The Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Health Care Narek Zeynalyan urged the participants of the debate to submit their proposals in written form and expressed readiness to study them and find possible solutions.