The European Union agreed to the 9th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. In it, as in the eight previous packages, there are again no sanctions against the pharmaceutical industry. Most likely, they will not be in the 10th package either, says the publication “Humanitarian manipulation. Why sanctions are not introduced against pharmaceutical companies” on censor.net.

Meanwhile, the authors of the article note, last year such companies as B.Braun, Gedeon Richter, Sun Pharma, Abbott, Servier and Egis, Stada, KRKA, Menarini Group and a number of others added $339 million to the budget of the Russian Federation.

“With this money, the Russian Federation purchased 339,000 projectiles for the 122-mm cannon, or 3,556 Smerch missiles, or 39 Kalibr cruise missiles, or 23 Su-25 attack aircraft, or any other weapon with which the occupiers continue to kill Ukrainians “, the Center for countering disinformation at the NSDC, the data of which is cited in the material, cites relevant calculations.

In fact, Ukraine became the only country that introduced a pharmaceutical sanction.

As early as May 22, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Medicinal Products” regarding restrictions on the circulation of medicinal products, the production of which is located on the territory of the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus, as well as on the export of medicinal products from Ukraine” No. 2271 .

In accordance with this law, a ban is introduced on the sale of medicines, the manufacturers of which carry out direct or indirect activities in the production of medicines on the territory of the aggressor state or Belarus.

However, even earlier, namely in 2017, the Acting Minister of Health of Ukraine, Ulyana Suprun, made a statement about her intention to stop the supply of medical drugs from Russia to the Ukrainian market.

“The Ministry of Health encourages Ukrainian and foreign manufacturers to bring high-quality substitutes for Russian-made drugs to the market. There should be no double standards: the country that launched a war against the Ukrainian people has no right to make money from our treatment,” Suprun said then, quoted by censor .net.

At the same time, the publication says, Ukrainian patients should not be afraid of a shortage of medicines. The ban on the sale of drugs applies if there are at least two substitutes for each of the prohibited drugs in Ukraine. And in general, experts of the pharmaceutical market believe that the list of medicines that could potentially be banned is not too wide, the article says.