A total of 2,776 medicines have left the Ukrainian market, an advisor to the Ukrainian Health Minister Olha Baula said at the annual analytical conference Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Market 2014 on February 7.

"A total of 2,776 medicines have left the Ukrainian market since 2011, including the most effective and vitally important ones," she said.

Baula said that in particular, there are no many medicines to treat cancer-stricken children

"All treatment schemes for children are under threat," she said.

Baula said that the absence of the most effective medicines is caused by a mechanism for financing the health care sector from "pockets of patients."

"Our pharmaceutical market developed those directions, which are spontaneously considered the most important by patients," she said.

The absence of medicines is linked to the refusal of passing the medicine re-registration procedure by companies, Baula said.

In turn, Director of the external relations at Stada CIS LLC Ivan Hlushkov said that the absence of the most effective medicines is explained by their high cost, which patients cannot pay.

"The major part of new medicines costs a lot and patients cannot pay for them, while the state buys a small amount of medicines. Until the reimbursement works, the expensive and efficient medicines will not arrive to the Ukrainian market," he said.

As reported, as of autumn 2013, Ukraine had around 12,500 types of medicines on the market and around 5,000 types of medicines are sold, according to the State Service for Medicinal Products of Ukraine.