The destruction of pharmaceutical production warehousing capacity hits not only finished products but the entire supply chain — from re-manufacturing and quality control to final delivery to pharmacies. This was explained to RBC-Ukraine by Kateryna Zagoriy, a member of the strategic council of the pharmaceutical company Darnitsa and co-founder of the Zagoriy Foundation. According to her, restoring stockpiles takes time, and under conditions of regular air-raid alerts and repeated attacks, this process is further complicated.
Why It Is Premature to Speak of a Nationwide Shortage
Zagoriy emphasizes that it would be incorrect to assess the situation as a nationwide drug shortage based solely on the destruction of individual warehouses. An objective assessment requires understanding the lost volumes, the remaining stock at other facilities, and the timelines for subsequent deliveries. It is only possible to say whether reserves are sufficient for uninterrupted patient supply once there is an up-to-date picture across specific drug groups and supply chains.
Drugs Under Special Watch
Particular attention, Zagoriy says, should be paid to those medicines where the possibility of rapid substitution is limited. This refers to drugs with a small number of suppliers, without full analogues, or with strict temperature-regime requirements. It is precisely for such items that local disruptions could potentially be most noticeable for patients.
Impact on Cost and Prices
At the first stage, the additional costs effectively fall on the business: companies have to hold larger safety stocks, disperse them, and duplicate logistics. If such scenarios repeat, military risks become a permanent component of the cost base and can create pressure on the final price. At the same time, Zagoriy notes that it is important to distinguish between the manufacturer and the pharmacy chain, since the final price depends not only on the producer but also on the chain's own pricing policy. September–October will allow a better assessment of whether the current losses are one-off or will begin to create systemic pressure on the availability and cost of medicines.
What Is Reasonable for Patients to Do
Under current conditions, Zagoriy believes that having a home medicine cabinet and a stock of the prescribed amount of medicines is a sensible measure, especially if the drugs are taken regularly and a break in treatment is unsafe for health. The expert does not call for panic buying but recommends taking individual therapy specifics into account and not interrupting a course without consulting a doctor.
