The Cabinet of Ministers classifies nalbuphine as a narcotic drug: sale is allowed, but only by e-prescription

On November 5, the Cabinet of Ministers classified nalbuphine, a potent opioid painkiller that can cause addiction, as a restricted drug. This was reported by the Ministry of Health.

Corresponding changes have been made to the list of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors in Table II (List No. 1) – along with drugs such as morphine, codeine, methadone, fentanyl, oxycodone, cocaine, etc .

"The amendments are intended to ensure a balance between patients' access to effective pain relief and protecting society from the abuse of medicines containing potentially dangerous substances that can harm health during self-medication and cause addiction," the Ministry explained .

Patients who have previously received nalbuphine by electronic prescription (since June, it has been banned from being sold in any other way) will continue to receive it. As before, all prescriptions will be issued electronically, and pharmacies will be able to sell the drug legally.

• Over the past two years, nalbuphine has been one of the five most popular medicines in pharmacies in monetary terms (after nurofen, xarelto and nimesil).
• Nalbuphine is not controlled as an opiate in many countries due to its special pharmacological properties and relatively low addiction potential compared to classical opioids. The World Health Organization (WHO) has not placed nalbuphine on the control lists of the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs after assessing the risks and benefits, as the potential for abuse does not justify additional restrictions.
• After the Ministry of Health introduced the sale of nalbuphine by electronic prescription in early summer 2025, its consumption decreased significantly – from 201,000 packs in June to 47,000 in August (according to the PharmXplorer analytical system).
• In 2024, more than 2.8 million packs of nalbuphine were sold in pharmacies.