KYIV. Dec 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine in the process of reforming the healthcare system should not apply principles denied in Europe, in particular, the principle of "money follows the patient" and reviewing medicine prices, Director General Interchem double liability company (Odesa) Anatoliy Reder has said.

"These are the two trends that most brightly sounding today in our country, and from which the world community, having already passed these paths, refuses, having decided that there must be something wrong in them," he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.

Reder said that in the opinion of a number of international experts, price reviewing leads to the depletion of cheap drugs from the market, payment for medical services "actively expands the price lists of medical institutions and the healthcare system is diluted.

At the same time, he pointed out the recommendations of the European generic organization "The Medicines for Europe," which recommended raising the state's attention to the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

"In Brussels, I talked with representatives of The Medicines for Europe. One of the officials warned that in three to four years Ukraine would become attractive for investment and purchase of pharmaceutical assets would start with the purpose of shutting them down, so our state and government should be extremely cautious about these processes in order to be able to control the social orientation in the pharmaceutical sector as much as possible. Otherwise, this opportunity would simply sail away during several years," he said.

"The state should impose its limitations, its cautious framework so that the pharmaceutical market does not lose the decisive share of local production, which is extremely important for maintaining the social stability of the entire state," the Interchem director said.

Interchem is one of the leading Ukrainian producers of medicines and pharmaceutical substances. It is a member of the Association of Manufacturers of Medications of Ukraine.

The Medicines for Europe was founded in 1993.

The Association of Manufacturers of Medications of Ukraine joined the Medicines for Europe in spring 2017.