During covert "mystery shopper" inspections conducted across Uzbekistan's capital, the Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee uncovered egregious violations regarding the pricing of pharmaceutical goods. A substantial number of pharmacies in Tashkent were found to be selling essential medicines at rates up to six times higher than legally permitted ceiling prices.

Following the investigation, the regulatory body released a list identifying several non-compliant pharmacy chains and operators. The offending entities include "Shunqorlar" LLC, "Muno farm" LLC located in the Qoraqamish 2/5 residential district, as well as "City farm", "Hosil farm", "Amir farm trade", "Feruza nur med", "Leader pharmagroup" private enterprise, "Pharm s golden", and "Ruslan buyuk farm". In each case, officials gathered definitive proof of unlawful price inflation.

Under Uzbek law, wholesale and retail markups on pharmaceutical products are subject to strict statutory ceilings—capped at no more than 15% for wholesale distribution and 20% for retail sales based on designated reference prices. Arbitrarily exceeding these limits directly infringes on consumer rights and undermines public access to essential healthcare provisions.

The Competition Committee has issued binding compliance directives to the implicated businesses. Furthermore, official submissions have been forwarded to the relevant licensing authorities to review and potentially revoke the pharmaceutical licenses of the businesses found culpable of price gouging.

Source: www.gazeta.uz