Darnytsia files complaint with Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee over actions of 5 major pharmacy chains, 2 distributors
Pharmaceutical company Darnytsia has submitted a complaint to the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) regarding possible anticompetitive actions by five of the country's largest pharmacy chains and two distributors.
"We are convinced that AMCU is the authority that must give an objective assessment of the situation and put an end to the debate. Our mission as a Ukrainian manufacturer is to defend fair competition and patients' right to freely choose medicines. We are not speculating – we act strictly within the law and trust the regulator," the company told Interfax-Ukraine.
Darnytsia stressed that "manufacturers, pharmacies, and distributors must work under transparent conditions, without hidden mechanisms of influence that restrict the range of medicines."
"We believe AMCU's review will help remove any doubts and ensure fair rules of the game in a market where the patient must come first," the company said.
Last week, Economic Pravda reported that PJSC Darnytsia (Kyiv) had suspended production due to overfilled warehouses caused by a conflict with pharmacy chains.
The company did not comment directly on that situation. However, pharmacy chain representatives suggested the decline in demand for Darnytsia's products may have been linked to the company's decision not to lower wholesale prices after the abolition of marketing payments to pharmacies, along with price hikes at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025. Among the drugs that Darnytsia allegedly raised prices for without justification, industry participants cited "Citramon-Darnytsia," which was replaced on pharmacy shelves by cheaper alternatives, such as "Citramon" produced by Lubnypharm.
According to Interfax-Ukraine sources, early this summer several large pharmacy chains removed products of a number of domestic manufacturers from shelves, citing their refusal to increase payments under marketing agreements.
In February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted an NSDC decision of February 12, 2025, introducing additional measures to ensure medicine affordability. Under the decision, the government, manufacturers, and pharmacy chains identified 100 drugs whose prices would be reduced by 30% starting March 1. It also established a ban, effective March 1, on marketing and promotional services related to the sale of medicines to end consumers, pending the Cabinet of Ministers' introduction of separate wholesale price referencing for all medicines.
In line with the NSDC decision, domestic manufacturers of the most popular medicines signed a declaration to cut prices by 30% for the top 100 drugs as of March 1. Signatories included the Association of Manufacturers of Medicines of Ukraine (APLU) and pharmaceutical companies Farmak, Borschahivsky Chemical and Pharmaceutical Plant (BCPP), Darnytsia, Arterium Corporation, Kyiv Vitamin Plant, YURiA-Pharm, Interchem, Kusum Pharm, and Viola pharmaceutical plant.
Later, in March, the Health Ministry received further proposals from 26 manufacturers to reduce prices on 273 drugs starting April 1. These included companies such as Pharma Start (Asipo), Valartin Pharma, Astropharm, Biopharma Plasma, Infuzia, Zdorovye Pharmaceutical Firm, Viola, Lekhim, Technolog, Microkhim, Novopharm-Biosintez, Ternopharm, Lubnypharm, and Pharmatrade.
According to market participants, the total costs incurred by leading domestic producers of the top 100 medicines to compensate distributors for inventory after the March 1 price reductions exceeded UAH 601.7 million.
Darnytsia is Ukraine's pharmaceutical market leader in volume terms. The company has been active for more than 90 years, producing medicines under 180 brands in 15 dosage forms. Its strategic portfolio focuses on cardiology, neurology, and pain management.
