KYIV. Nov 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The effectiveness of the government-sustained reimbursement program Affordable Medicines for health of patients could be assessed in January through early February 2018, Medical Director of the Farmak pharmaceutical company Vitaliy Usenko has said.

"Its effectiveness could be assessed in January or early February, after analyzing not only the amount of expenditure, but unbiased medical figures," he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.

Usenko said that the success of the program depends not on the volume of funds earmarked, the number of packages consumed, but on how the program influences health of patients.

In turn, Head of the Endocrinology Department at Kyiv City Endocrinology Center Kostiantyn Zuyev positively assessed the effect of the program for patients, in particular, those with diabetes mellitus.

"First in 25 years patients with diabetes mellitus of second type, and this is 90% of patients with diabetes mellitus, received metformin free of charge," Zuyev said.

He said that all the funds provided for the reimbursement program were sent.

"The money has been allocated in the full amount. As far as I know, as of last week, they were used by 70%," he said.