The Competition Development and Consumer Protection Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan has issued a formal warning to major pharmaceutical wholesale distributors, demanding strict compliance with national antitrust laws amidst mounting market concerns.

According to official statistics, over the past nine months, medical products were imported into the country by 305 different enterprises. However, market concentration remains disproportionately high, with a staggering 47.2% of total pharmaceutical imports controlled by just five major players, allegedly allowing them to dictate terms to smaller market participants. I

The regulatory body reported an increasing number of complaints from businesses and social media users regarding unfair practices. Specifically, dominant distributors are reportedly forcing pharmacies and retailers to purchase unwanted, low-demand, or unordered medications as a mandatory condition for acquiring high-demand essential drugs. Officials claim such practices severely infringe upon the economic interests of small businesses and distort fair market competition.

The committee stressed that under the Law on Competition, such actions constitute an abuse of superior bargaining power. If ongoing investigations confirm these violations, the offending entities could face substantial financial penalties amounting to up to 5% of their total revenue from goods sales over the period of the infraction, spanning up to the last three years.

Source: www.gazeta.uz