After relentless advocacy by patient groups in Ukraine, a partnership between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Ukraine Ministry of Health has resulted in the successful procurement of first and second-line drugs for tuberculosis (TB). Through their open bidding process, UNDP was able to secure significantly lower prices for 15 of the 18 TB medicines they will purchase on behalf of Ukraine, and save USD 1 million, which could be reinvested to treat an additional 28,000 patients with drug-sensitive TB or 700 patients with drug-resistant TB. Delivery of the first shipment of medicines is expected as early as April.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed the draft law №2151 which enables the transfer of drug procurement to the international organizations. This draf law provides for the abolition of 7% VAT and 5% customs duty on drugs that will be procured by the international organization for the state budget. Together with the draft law № 2150, which was passed by the Parliament on March 19, 2015, the saved funds on the drug procurement through international organizations will reach 42%. Additionally around 1.5 million Ukrainians will receive treatment and vaccination due to the savings.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian patients were left without drugs for treatment, when government did not manage to conduct tenders for 80% of drug purchases under the state health programmes, the joint press release from prominent patients organisations in Ukraine informs.

Patient and anticorruption organizations call on pharma companies not to sell medical products to Ukraine at the price of gold and decrease the prices instead to the level of the year 2013.