In Ukraine, pharmacies are prohibited from selling a popular drug: only with a prescription.

Ministry of Health has started discussions on banning the sale of nalbuphine with paper prescriptions

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has started a public discussion on the draft order that proposes a ban on the sale of drugs with the international nonproprietary name nalbuphine with paper prescriptions. Nalbuphine belongs to opioid analgesics that can cause addiction, and its consumption in Ukraine is steadily increasing.

According to the Ministry of Health, in 2024, pharmacies sold over 2.8 million packages of nalbuphine, which is 23% more compared to 2023. At the same Time, only 4,987 electronic prescriptions for this drug were issued, of which only 794 were redeemed (for 986 packages). Such a striking difference indicates large-scale sales of the drug without prescriptions, which contradicts current regulations.

'The Ministry of Health constantly receives requests regarding the unjustified increase in demand and uncontrolled use of nalbuphine. So at the beginning of January, I instructed the State Service of Medicines to monitor the dispensing of this drug in pharmacies,' said Health Minister Victor Lyashko.

According to him, pharmacies cannot provide paper prescriptions under which these medicines were dispensed, justifying this by the absence of a rule on the mandatory storage of such documents.

According to the draft order, after the changes are implemented, the sale of nalbuphine will only be allowed with an electronic prescription. Pharmacies located in frontline areas, temporarily occupied territories, and zones of active hostilities will be allowed to dispense the drug with a paper prescription until the end of martial law and for three months thereafter. However, such pharmacies will be required to keep paper prescriptions for three years.

The new rules will apply not only to nalbuphine but also to other medicinal products classified under code N02AF: butorphanol and dinubufin sebacate.

The situation with the use of nalbuphine in Ukraine demonstrates a troubling trend. Although this drug is not included in the List of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and precursors, there is a rapid increase in its consumption by the population while the use in medical institutions is declining. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2024, only over 14 thousand packages of nalbuphine were sold to medical institutions, while in 2021, nearly 250 thousand were sold.

An electronic prescription is viewed as an effective control mechanism that has already proven its reliability in regulating the circulation of narcotic and psychotropic drugs.

Comments and suggestions on the draft order are accepted within 30 days at the address of the Ministry of Health: Kyiv, 01601, M. Hrushevskyi Street 7, e-mail: [email protected].