Ministry of Health: Ukraine and Uzbekistan work on simplifying exports of Ukrainian medicines

Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko held a meeting with Minister of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan Eldor Adilov. Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Yevhenii Honchar and representatives of Uzbek agencies responsible for pharmaceutical sector development and medicines quality control also took part.

During the talks, the sides focused on two main areas of cooperation. The first is ensuring uninterrupted supplies of quality Ukrainian medicines to Uzbekistan, in particular GMP certification of pharmaceutical companies, which confirms that production meets the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practice. The second is exchanging experience in health care reform.

Under current Uzbek legislation, pharmaceutical companies must undergo mandatory on-site inspections to confirm that production meets international quality standards (GMP). At the same time, because of the full-scale war and constant Russian shelling, conducting such inspections in Ukraine is difficult, which creates risks for the renewal of certificates held by Ukrainian manufacturers, which are required for continued supplies of medicines to Uzbekistan.

This issue is important for Ukraine's pharmaceutical industry since, according to industry associations, Uzbekistan accounts for a significant share of Ukrainian medicines exports.

To ensure uninterrupted supplies, the Ukrainian side proposed introducing remote or hybrid inspections of pharmaceutical companies for the duration of martial law, as other countries do, and temporarily extending the validity of existing GMP certificates.

The Uzbek side expressed readiness to help resolve the issue, taking into account the situation in Ukraine. In particular, Uzbekistan is already preparing amendments to its legislation that would allow remote inspections of pharmaceutical companies.

The sides also discussed expanding cooperation in other areas of health care. The issue is timely, as both countries are currently changing their health care financing systems and expanding patients' access to medicines. Ukraine is ready to share the practices it has developed in recent years and maintained even during the war.

As part of developing cooperation, a working visit of a Ukrainian delegation to Uzbekistan is planned in the near future. Its purpose is to exchange experience, discuss practical steps to implement the agreements reached, and expand cooperation between the countries in health care.

Importantly, cooperation between Ukraine and Uzbekistan in health care is systemic. It covers exchange of experience in organising medical care, cooperation on the development and quality control of medicines, training of medical personnel and joint scientific research. Humanitarian support for Ukraine remains an important area, in particular the provision of medical care and the organisation of recovery and rehabilitation programmes for Ukrainian children.