Minister: Import of medicines to Armenia to be liberalized

ArmInfo. Import of medicines to  Armenia will be liberalized. The Minister of Health of the Republic  of Armenia Arsen Torosyan stated by at the hearings in the  commissions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on  execution of the state budget of the country in 2017.

According to him, within the framework of reforms in the healthcare  system, it is planned to provide an opportunity for all interested  companies to supply pharmaceuticals to Armenia, subject to all norms.  This measure, the minister continued, will lead to lower prices for  medicines, including drugs for the treatment of cancer in the  domestic market of the republic. In this case, it is stipulated that  the state itself will determine the list of medicines, and offer it  to the suppliers.

The work is underway to study the possibilities of releasing drugs,  which will be imported to Armenia within the framework of the state  order, from VAT. "We are negotiating on this issue with the State  Revenue Committee on the possible impact of this decision on the  country's budget.If it turns out that the influence is not  significant, we will take this step," said Arsen Torosyan, while  pointing at the situation in Georgia, where the prices for  pharmaceuticals are much lower than in Armenia.

Earlier, the Armenian parliament adopted amendments to the law "On  medicines", which authorize the medical centers of the country to  import medicines for their own needs. Currently, only large wholesale  companies have the right to import medicinal products. Thus, out of  150 importing companies, 5 account for 75% of all deliveries, which  affects prices. In this regard, it is proposed to expand the field of  pharmaceuticals slightly. In particular, it is proposed to provide  hospitals with the right to import medicines for themselves without a  license for wholesale trade if the hospital has a pharmacy license.  In addition, it is proposed to allow individuals to import medicines  from abroad not only for their own needs, but also for the needs of  family members. At the same time, it is allowed for individuals to  import from abroad no more than 10 names of medicinal products.