Pills against monopoly. Who wins and who loses from allowing the sale of medicines at gas stations

The Cabinet of Ministers has allowed the sale of over-the-counter drugs at gas stations. The idea is to make medicines more accessible and to improve the competitive situation in the market.pharmacy market. It is complex: over 70% of the market is controlled by five by pharmaceutical groups, according to the Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of Ukraine.

The innovation was presented to pharmaceutical companies at the end of December 2025 at a meeting with the Minister of Health, says the CEO of a pharmaceutical plant who participated in the event, on condition of anonymity. "Most of those present expressed the opinion that this would not help demonopolization, but on the contrary, would destabilize the market," he says. He adds that seven or eight top managers of Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies took part in the meeting.

How will the new permit affect the business of pharmacies and manufacturers, and will gas stations sell medicines?LIGA.net I asked representatives of Ukrnafta, UPG, networks Plantain, 911, liki.ua.