Price restrictions of over-the-counter drugs adopted in 2017 will be lifted from April 1, the Ministry of Justice said on Tuesday.

Since 2017, the maximum markup for wholesale traders (distributors) has been 15% of the base price, for retailers (pharmacies) - 20% of the purchase price.

As part of the reference pricing system drug prices have been registered since 2020. This is a comparison of prices for the manufacturer's products in the country of origin and several other countries, conducted by the regulatory body. The state regulator, having compared price levels for a specific product abroad, has the right to choose a market price threshold, prohibiting sellers from breaching it.

These restrictions will remain in force only for prescription drugs. Markup of no more than 15% of the purchase (base) price for wholesale trade (up to 20% for retail trade) shall be applied for wholesale and retail sale of prescription drugs, regardless of the number of intermediaries. Wholesale and retail prices for these drugs must not exceed the maximum wholesale and retail reference prices.

Manufacturers producing drugs with the same composition, but under different trade names, must set a single minimum reference price for all names (with the exception of cases of differences in the manufacturers of the active substance/substances). That is, if the same drug is sold under different trade names, manufacturers will not be able to inflate prices for some brands and lower them for others.

The Pharmaceutical Product Safety Center shall automatically revise reference prices for drugs in foreign currency when the exchange rate changes, without the need for business entities to submit requests.