The Commission for the Protection of Competition (CPC) is beginning a sectoral analysis of the wholesale and retail markets for pharmaceutical products.
The study will focus on the structure and conditions under which the markets function along the pharmaceutical supply chain, the behavior of participants in the pharmaceutical supply process, as well as the reasons for the shortages and shortages of pharmaceutical products in the country observed since the beginning of the year.
The shortage of medicines is a problem of high public importance and in its practice the Commission has established that the possible causes are related to production problems leading to delays or interruptions in production, shortages of raw materials, increased demand and use of certain medicines and problems with distribution, opportunities for parallel export, price regulation and others. In addition, publicly available data from the EC and OECD shows that in 2024 Direct payments by patients for healthcare services are one of the main factors for the high healthcare costs in Bulgaria, which are estimated at 34% of household income, while the average in the EU is 14.5%, which further increases public sensitivity to the accessibility and prices of medicines.
The sector analysis will also examine in more depth other suspected problems in the pharmaceutical market, such as unequal treatment of pharmacies by wholesalers and parallel trade in medicinal products prohibited for export.
The sector analysis will monitor the extent to which possible problems in the pharmaceutical sector are influenced by objective circumstances or are a consequence of distortion of the market environment, through the application of possible anti-competitive practices that may lead to actual distortion of competition and consumer rights.
If, within the framework of the sector analysis of the pharmaceutical market, facts are established that correspond to the elements of violations such as unfair commercial practices, abuse of dominant position situation or prohibited agreements, the Commission will take action and initiate the relevant proceedings to establish them.
Within the framework of the established cooperation between the CPC, the National Revenue Agency and the Consumer Protection Commission, the large-scale investigation will also monitor any unjustified price increases before and after the introduction of the euro, which are caused by possible anti-competitive practices.
The full text of the decision is available in the public electronic register of the CPC at the following internet address: http://reg.cpc.bg.
Information falling within the scope of the investigation can be provided to the Commission at the following email address: delovodstvo@cpc.bg or on the CPC platform for anonymous reporting at https://www.cpc.bg/signals.