Armenian law supposed to push medicine prices down

A set of changes to the Law on Medicine passed today by the Armenian parliament is supposed to push prices of medicines down, according to MP Hakob Hakobyan, the chairman of a parliament committee on social and health issues.

YEREVAN, April 12. /ARKA/. A set of changes to the Law on Medicine passed today by the Armenian parliament is supposed to push prices of medicines down, according to MP Hakob Hakobyan, the chairman of a parliament committee on social and health issues. Under the working law, only those companies are allowed to import medicines, which have wholesale licenses.br

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Under the proposed changes, also hospitals and other medical institutions will be allowed to import medicines, but only for their own needs.br

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According to Hakobyan, this will allow them to purchase medicines directly from producers, without contacting wholesale suppliers, which can push down prices for medicines and medical services.br

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He specified that hospitals will not be able to sell medicines. The current law stipulates that an individual can import medicines for the same purpose without a license. Under the changes, approved in the first reading, the individual can import medicines not only for himself/herself, but also for three members of the family or relatives.br

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Now, some 150 companies nbsp;have licenses for nbsp;wholesale supplies of medicines in Armenia, however, five of them account for as much as 75% of all imports.--0--br

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