Emicizumab for Ukraine bought twice as cheap as planned – Medical Purchases

SE “Medical Purchases of Ukraine” purchased the drug Emicizumab, which is bought in the direction of pediatric hemophilia, twice cheaper than in previous years. Due to the lower cost, it was possible to save UAH 82 million of taxpayers’ funds.

The Ministry of Health has allocated UAH 1,454.77 for the purchase of a unit of the drug in the passport of a budget program. However, despite the fact that the price declared by the manufacturer for Ukraine was twice as high as the price in other countries, the Ministry of Health and the state enterprise “Medical Purchases of Ukraine” began negotiations with the manufacturer to reduce the cost for Ukraine, since Emicizumab is a single-source drug, and there are no generics on the market.

As a result of lengthy negotiations, the manufacturer reduced the price by half – to 649 UAH per unit (milligram). That is, instead of the expected cost of the entire batch of the drug in 169.6 million UAH, Emicizumab for Ukraine is purchased for 87 million UAH.

Emicizumab is a non-factorial drug that has a new mechanism of action, biospecific monoclonal antibodies. It triggers the blood clotting mechanism and thereby eliminates factors associated with increased bleeding. The advantage of non-factorial drugs is their longer action (up to 28 days), which reduces the frequency of use, and a more convenient method of administration (subcutaneous injection). This is especially important for young patients.

Delivery of the drug to the warehouse of the logistics partner of the state enterprise “Medical Purchases of Ukraine” is scheduled for December 10.