Prices of Turkish-imported medicines will not rise - Health Ministry

The Georgian Health Ministry on Friday said the prices of Turkish-imported medicines would not increase, adding Georgian companies would still be able to purchase them at lower prices on the Turkish pharmaceutical market and import them to Georgia, on the backdrop of increased prices in Turkey.

The Ministry noted the exchange rate of the national currency of lari against the Turkish lira had strengthened by 46 percent since 2023, adding the development meant the raised costs for medications in Turkey would have “no impact” on the cost of medical drugs imported from the country to Georgia.

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It also added the cost of the medicines had remained unaffected by the multiple price adjustments made to their prices in Turkey throughout 2022.

The drugs produced in Turkey have been imported to Georgia since January 2022, following an initiative by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in an effort to ensure a reduction of general prices of medicines for citizens in Georgia.

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Organisers of the initiative cited the considerable gap between the cost of the drugs produced using good manufacturing practices on the Turkish market and those available in Georgia, with the move leading to prices for select medicines on the Georgian market decreasing by 70-80 percent since the start of the imports.