Why is this important
A 40-50% reduction in prices will make medicines accessible for millions of Uzbekistanis who spend 30-40% of their income on medicine. 4.9 thousand of the 7.6 thousand imported drugs are not in the registers of reference countries — distributors inflate prices by 2-3 times. The farma.xarid.uz platform will eliminate corruption in public procurement ($500+ million per year), allowing only certified companies. This will improve quality, transparency, and reduce budget expenditures.
What happened
- Prices for 2,600 prescription drugs will decrease by 40-50% from January 1, 2026;
- Of the 7.6 thousand imported drugs, 4.9 thousand are not in the registers of reference countries;
State procurements will be transferred to farma.xarid.uz with the admission of only certified companies;
Industry: production — 5 trillion, exports — $172 million, investments — $286 million;
32 projects worth $166 million will be launched by the end of 2025.
Price reduction
- 2.6 thousand prescription drugs: antibiotics, antiviral, cardiovascular, oncological — the most expensive and in-demand.
- 40-50% reduction: 100 thousand soums worth of medicine will cost 50-60 thousand soums.
- Reason: revision of reference prices. Currently, 4.9 thousand of the 7.6 thousand imported drugs are not included in the price registers of reference countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Turkey). Distributors are inflating prices, claiming it’s more expensive abroad.
Farma.xarid.uz platform
- Launch: January 1, 2026.
- Purpose: transparency of state procurement of medicines ($500+ million per year), exclusion of corruption, low-quality goods.
- Permission: only manufacturers, distributors, suppliers with GMP (production), GDP (distribution), ISO:13485 (medical equipment) certificates.
- Functions:
- Automatic verification: purchase price not higher than the reference price;
- Public registers of certified companies;
- Open data on procurement volumes.
Pharmaceutical industry
- Production: 5 trillion soums.
- Export: $172 million to 55 countries.
- Investments: $286 million, of which $257 million is foreign.
- Projects: 35 domestic companies have mastered 205 types of medicines. 16 projects worth $29 million have been launched, creating 830 jobs.
- Standards: GMP in 61 enterprises, GDP in 486 warehouses, GPP in 9450 pharmacies.
Tasks until the end of 2025
To launch 32 projects worth $166 million, create 1,500 jobs, increase production and exports, and ensure price reduction.
Medical facility platform
By January 1, 2026, create a system for forming the needs of state hospitals for medicines and medical equipment, and managing the remaining balance. This will eliminate shortages and surpluses, and optimize purchases.
Context
- The price problem: Uzbeks spend 30-40% of their income on medicine. Medicines are more expensive than in Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey due to intermediaries who inflate prices by 2-3 times.
- Reference prices: set for regulation. But 4.9 thousand of the 7.6 thousand imported drugs are not in the registers of reference countries — distributors declare any price.
- Corruption in public procurement: officials buy medicines from affiliated distributors at inflated prices. The pharma.xarid.uz platform with auto-verification will exclude this.
- Certification: GMP, GDP, ISO — international quality standards. Allowing only certified companies will improve the quality of medicines and eliminate counterfeiting.
