Day: December 20, 2023

The Ministry of Health of Georgia states that the pharmaceutical sector sells some medicines 32 times more expensive than their true price. In some cases the markup reaches 1000%, 2000% and 3000%.

For clarity, the Ministry shows a list of specific drugs and says that the industry is harming citizens in order to maximize profits.

Ministry of Health

Statement of the Ministry of Health

According to the Ministry of Health, drugs in all major pharmacy chains cost almost the same. Overpricing “raises reasonable suspicion” that there is an agreement between pharmaceutical companies, and there is misuse of a dominant position.

“Artificial overpricing of medicines is unacceptable. With existing unfair prices and unhealthy competition, this sector is harming citizens to maximize profits. There is no free pricing of medicines among large economic agents operating in the market and based on agreement, healthy competition is limited,” the ministry said in a statement.

Since the pricing policy of large pharmaceutical companies contains signs of a cartel transaction, to study this issue the Ministry of Health is turning to the National Competition Agency, to which it will hand over all the necessary documents.

“In order to inform the population, we explain that in the near future the state will set fair, reference prices (upper price limit) for the above-mentioned drugs, above which their sale will be prohibited,” the ministry promises in its statement.

• “Mom felt like a little girl.” How people with dementia live in Georgia
• Are children in Georgia hungry and do they need free meals at school?
• Medicines in Georgia to be sold at state-fixed prices

A system of reference prices is in place in Georgia

On January 15, 2023, reference prices for medicines were determined in Georgia, which means the maximum price determined by the state. Since February 15, all importers, distributors and retailers are obliged to be guided by this upper price limit.

There is a government decree on which drug prices the government will regulate in the first phase.

On March 23, the Ministry of Health reported that some pharmaceutical companies continue to artificially inflate prices. In particular, we are talking about expensive cancer drugs, for which there is no reference price, and which are issued by the state within the framework of the universal health care program.

As the ministry explains, according to the National Health Agency, the companies selling expensive oncological drugs have set the same prices for the same drugs. Under the universal health care program, GEL 25,000 [about $9300] is allocated per beneficiary per year for chemotherapy hormone therapy, and as a result of artificially high prices, cancer patients’ access to medicines is limited.

Armenia did not extradite Russian conscript

“The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Armenia has not received, discussed or approved the petition on the detention, arrest and transfer (extradition) of Dmitry Setrakov to the competent authorities of the Russian Federation,” Lusine Martirosyan, Advisor to the Prosecutor General of Armenia, said, denying the extradition of the Russian citizen.

Dmitry Setrakov, who fled because of the Russian-Ukrainian war, allegedly taken from Armenia to Rostov-on-Don, is in the military police department, as reported by the Russian service of Radio Liberty.

Setrakov faces up to ten years in prison for leaving the unit he served in unauthorized. There is no information yet on how he ended up in Russia. He was detained in Gyumri by military police officers of the Russian base, where he was held until he was taken out of Armenia.

Armenian human rights activists have declared that the Russian military police has no right to detain anyone on the territory of Armenia, including a Russian citizen.

• “CSTO technically cannot create a unified air defense system”: Opinion from Yerevan

• “Armenia does not yet have the resources to challenge Russia.” Opinion

• Armenian trucks idle in Upper Lars. Russia’s response to the CSTO boycott?

The legality of the actions of the military police of the Russian base is under investigation

Advisor to the Prosecutor General Lusine Martirosyan also said in a Facebook post that the Prosecutor’s Office “has no information about the search for Dmitry Setrakov by the authorized bodies of the Russian Federation and his discovery” on the territory of Armenia.

“The statement of human rights defender Artur Sakunts regarding Setrakov has been sent to the body carrying out operational and search activities in order to verify the information stated therein. After which the issue of opening a case will be discussed.”

Human rights activist Artur Sakunts appealed to the Prosecutor General to “take measures regarding the illegal actions committed by the military police of the Russian military base on the territory of Armenia, as well as to make efforts to prohibit or prevent the possible transfer of Dmitry Setrakov from the territory of Armenia to the Russian Federation.”

The Prosecutor General’s Office considered the application, but no criminal case was opened, and Setrakov has already been removed from Armenia.

Armenian human rights activist warned about the incident

On December 9, Artur Sakunts warned that military police officers of the 102nd Russian military base stationed in Gyumri detained Russian citizen Dmitry Setrakov. He received this information from colleagues from a Russian human rights organization, to which Setrakov’s wife had appealed.

According to Sakunts’ report, he was a contract serviceman, but after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war he refused to serve and moved to Armenia.

The human rights activist also called the management of the military base. He received confirmation that the man had been detained. He was told that the base’s investigation department should conduct an investigation, and if found guilty, Setrakov would serve his sentence in the Russian Federation.

The Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Assembly, headed by Sakunts, also appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, reporting about Setrakov’s illegal detention. The human rights organization submitted a demand to the court to apply an urgent measure and oblige Armenia not to extradite Setrakov to Russia.

“Is Putin’s order valid on Armenian territory?”

Human rights activist Artur Sakunts considers the actions of the Russian law enforcement bodies on the territory of Armenia as “encroachment on the legal system of Armenia and Armenia as a sovereign state”.

He said that he asked the leadership of the military base on what grounds Setrakov was arrested. He was told that “this is an order from Russian President Putin.”

“It turns out that the order of the President of the Russian Federation is valid on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. The order of the president of any country cannot obtain in another sovereign state. In such a situation, the security of thousands of other Russian citizens sheltering in Armenia is also under threat,” Sakunts says.

According to the human rights activist, this is a serious challenge for the Armenian authorities, who have obligations to the Council of Europe, including the protection of the rights of any person on the territory of the country.

Follow us – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Armenia did not extradite Russian conscript

8:34 AM 12/20/2023 – Selected Articles: Russian GRU veteran defects, vows to reveal ‘war crimes’ in Hague … Hamas leader visits Cairo, a sign talks on another Gaza truce and hostage swap are gathering pace – AP … Charles McGonigal and the October Surprise 2016 – Audio Review of the Selected Articles … A US ambassador working for Cuba? … A jury has ordered Rudy Giuliani to pay nearly $150 million to two Georgia election workers he defamed. 

Ukainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the press in the Ukrainian town of Bucha on April 4, 2022. Zelensky said the Russian leadership was responsible for civilian killings in Bucha. RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images