Chechnya: Prosecutor's Office reveals drug overpricing

The Prosecutor's Office of Chechnya has revealed facts of illegal overpricing of medicines in pharmacies. Administrative cases have been initiated against the owners of two pharmacies.

"In the course of the prosecutor's check of fulfilment of requirements of the law on pricing by the pharmacy institutions of the city of Argun, blatant violations of consumer rights were revealed. Thus, the pharmacy store "Khava" sold drugs to the population at the prices significantly higher than the permissible 27 percent retail trade mark-up," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by local law enforcers.

On the average, according to the source, the retail mark-up on certain types of medication in this pharmacy was from 40 to 100 percent. "Same violations were revealed in the pharmacy 'Apti' in the city of Argun. Administrative cases were initiated against the owners of these pharmacy shops under part 1, Article 14.6 (violation of the order of pricing)," said the source.

According to his story, the owners of the pharmacies "Khava" and "Apti" were fined by 5000 roubles each.

So far, no comments were made by the owners of these pharmacies.

As reported by local residents, prices for drugs in many pharmacies of Chechnya are many times higher than their actual cost. Besides, many of them sell expired and unlicensed medicines.

"I recently bought drugs against high tension for my mother. The seller directly asked me what sort of medicine I wanted - an 'original' or a 'fake'. She told me that fakes are much cheaper. I was shocked by the statement, but the saleswoman said that buyers come and ask themselves for something cheaper," said Amina S., a resident of Grozny.

"Pharmacists themselves tell that most of their drugs have expired shelf life. Owners of pharmacies purchase drugs outside the republic in bulk at low prices, because they are already with expired shelf life, and then sell them out at exorbitant prices as valid drugs. It's quite easy to fake the expiry date of medicines," said Kheda M., another local woman.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Public Health of Chechnya said on that occasion that the problem of faked drugs "is relevant not only for our republic, but also the whole country." "It's really a very serious problem, and faked drugs are sold not only here, but virtually all over the country. Nobody can say for sure what the percentage of faked medicines in the pharmacy market is; it may be 50 percent, and may be even 70," said a medic.