Problem of Fake Medication: Pharmacists Disagree with Armenia Government’s Approach

Doctors in Armenia prescribe imported and not locally produced medication to their patients, since they’re not sufficiently informed on locally produced pharmaceuticals, said Samvel Zakaryan, head of the Medicine Producers and Importers Union of Armenia, at a press conference in Yerevan today.

Zakaryan noted that one of the ways they’re tackling this issue is by distributing the newly published quarterly magazine Pharma Digest to medical establishments, where doctors and other medical staff can read about the various types of medication produced in Armenia, as well as new technologies and innovations in the pharmaceutical industry.

During the press conference, Pharma Digest chief editor and director of GXP Centre of Excellence Aram Ghazaryan stated that pharmaceuticals produced in Armenian fully comply with European standards.

“Nearly all types of pharmaceuticals are produced in Armenia — beginning from aseptic drugs to medication in liquid form and ending with medication in solid form. There are 14 pharmaceutical companies operating in Armenia, which at this time, apart from internal consumption, export mainly to the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States],” he said.

On the matter of fake medication, Zakaryan said the number of fake drugs in Armenia is quite few, compared to many other countries. However, according to him, there has been some cause for concern.

“Recently the Armenian government approved protocol that allows the import of drugs in modified recycled packaging into Armenia from third countries, which is a very disturbing fact. We’ve appealed to several state agencies in order to annul his protocol,” he said.

According to the head of the Medicine Producers and Importers Union of Armenia, the danger in this issue is that the number of fake pharmaceuticals will theoretically and practically increase in Armenia.

“It is presumed that this will fight the monopoly, but unlike in other sectors, the pharmaceutical industry doesn’t work like that in the entire world. The novelty that our government is trying to invest is the only one in the world, because it is not an accepted procedure of regulating and operating the pharmaceutical sector,” Zakaryan explained.