We are ensuring daily monitoring of oncological and other medical drugs in the domestic pharmaceutical market, following the National Competition Agency’s fining of pharmacy networks last month for price-fixing. Such a statement made today the Minister of Health.

Zurab Azarashvili was speaking after the companies were fined GEL 53 million for conspiring to keep artificially inflated prices on oncology medicines funded within the state programme - a decision they could appeal in court.

As he said, special bases had been created for the purpose of monitoring the ongoing prices of the drugs.

“The fact is quite clear of concerted actions of these companies against our country to pay much more money from the budget based on artificially increased prices.

The violations meant consumers had been left without medicines, as the three and four times increased prices had resulted in premature expenditure of limited state funds designated for the medicines.

I hope, the strict response from the authorities would mean violations of the kind would not be repeated”, - said the Minister.

As he added, provision of oncological medicines had begun to be “gradually taken over” by the state from 2024.