Demand for neurological medicines been growing significantly since beginning of 2024 – expert
Since the beginning of 2024, the demand for neurological medicines, including antidepressants, as well as medicines used to treat dementia, epilepsy and antipsychotics, has been growing, regional director of the pharmaceutical company Acino Yevheniy Zaika shares his observations.
"We see a significant increase in demand for neurological medicines: antidepressants, medicines for the treatment of dementia, epilepsy and antipsychotics," he told Interfax-Ukraine.
Zaika noted an increase in demand for cardiac and endocrinological medicines, as well as an increase in the share of nutritional supplements in the sales structure.
Commenting on the current situation in the pharmaceutical market, the expert said since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, logistics prices have risen by 20-30%. To counteract blackouts, the Pharma Start plant in Kyiv, which produces products for Acino, was equipped with two diesel generators, the office and production are provided with Starlink Internet.
Zaika said Acino currently has 17 new products in development.
At the same time, he said Ukrainian requirements for the quality and production of medicines are "very strict."
"For example, the Ukrainian market requires separate registration of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which significantly increases the development time for new products, and also increases the cost of both developing and maintaining the active registration status of the product. In Europe, where we are all striving, there is simply no such a thing as API registration," he said.
Commenting on the company's participation strategy in budget procurement, Zaika said the volume of tender deliveries is growing annually in hryvnia equivalent, but the share of budget shipments remains approximately at the same level.