No sharp fluctuations in the country’s medicine market registered recently

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS: No sharp fluctuations in the country’s medicine market have been registered recently. Press secretary of the RA State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition Nelly Danielyan told Armenpress that in August connected with the increase of euro exchange rate prices for some types of medicine increased by 10% which raised a wave of discontent among the consumers.

Directors of a number of pharmacies also referred to this issue. “During the recent period the prices for medicines have both decreased and increased but in near future no price fluctuations, at least from our company, are expected,” director of the “Triopharm” pharmacy CJSC Khachatur Gasparyan said, adding that the price fluctuations are mainly agreed with the changes of prices in the international market. According to him, prices for certain Belgian, Dutch medicine have increased and for a number of French, Indian and Hungarian medicines have decreased.

“At the end of each year price reduction is always being registered but this year the changes are less noticeable. Price ups were noticed last year connected with the swine flue. I do not think that we will increase the prices, as this year the medicine circulation and sale has reduced,” Mr Gasparyan said. He also expressed opinion that the euro exchange rate fluctuations may have very small impact on the price policy.

While director general of “Arpharmacia” CJSC Stepan Avanesyan tied the increase of medicine prices with the increase of euro exchange rate. “During the last few months we have not raised prices, there are just certain products the prices of which will increase by 10-12% connected with the increase of euro exchange rate. If during our importing euro’s rate is high we are forced to set high price for mentioned products, otherwise we will not only fail to have income but will suffer serious losses,” he noted.

“Alpha-Pharm” CJSC refused to comment on the issue.

According to the chairman of the “Protection of Consumers’ Right” NGO Abgar Yeghoyan, no monitoring has been conducted in this sphere during the recent period and he cannot give any assessment over the issue. Nevertheless, he said the interests of consumers must be defended anyway.

An official from the Health Ministry’s department on pharmaceutical activity organization for ensuring medicine and technology Marina Harutyunyan said that the ministry does not have any source of control for setting prices in the medicine market but a draft decision has been worked out which intends setting the highest price, higher of which will not be allowed to anyone.

Last year seven companies operating in the medicine market coming to anticompetitive agreement simultaneously and without any grounds raised the prices for medicine, limiting the competition and not having any grounded economic factor.