The Ministry of Healthcare has signed memorandums of cooperation with pharmaceutical companies such as JSC "Khimpharm", LLP "Johnson & Johnson Kazakhstan" and LLP "AstraZeneca Kazakhstan". The agreements aim to reduce prices on a number of expensive and socially significant medicines, the ministry's press service reported.
"The signing of memorandums with leading domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies reflects our shared commitment to constructive cooperation and social responsibility," said Minister of Healthcare Akmaral Alnazarova.
As part of the agreement, LLP "AstraZeneca Kazakhstan" plans to reduce prices on a number of vital medicines for retail and wholesale sale. It is expected that this will improve the availability of necessary medicines for citizens and expand public access to innovative therapies.
"The provisions of the memorandum also apply to our company's medicines which are already localised and manufactured in Kazakhstan. According to our estimates, the price reduction will support several million patients," commented company representative Arsen Nasyrkhanov.
With the company "Johnson & Johnson", the Ministry of Health has reached an agreement to revise the pricing policy on the medicine Spinraza (Nusinersen). This medicine is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy – a rare, but progressive and life-threatening disease.
In turn, JSC "Khimpharm" confirmed its readiness to reduce the purchase price of the medicine Dapagliflozin, which is used to treat type 2 diabetes.
"This is one of the most common non-communicable diseases in the world. In Kazakhstan, more than 520,000 people suffer from diabetes, of which 492,335 have type 2 diabetes," the statement said.
In addition, the memorandums include the following provisions:
- compliance with permissible trade markup limits;
- monitoring of price dynamics;
- exchange of best practices;
- development of financing mechanisms for innovative medicines;
- formulation of proposals for improving legislation in the field of medicine supply.