How Turkish Origin Medicines Appear in Armenian Pharmacies

Armenian pharmacies regularly encounter illegally imported medicines intended for the Turkish market. These medications closely resemble their Armenian counterparts in appearance, yet differ in both the country of production and the registration serial number. This has been revealed by NEWS.am, following an investigation into the pharmaceutical market in Armenia.

Back in May, Mery Hovhannisyan, a member of the Facebook group “For the Armenian,” alerted that her mother, a pensioner with asthma, purchased a medication named “Seretide” for 13,000 drams from a pharmacy, only to later discover that the box bore labels in Turkish, indicating that the drug was meant for the Turkish market. It should be noted that a type of inhalation powder called “Seretide,” registered in the database of the Expert Center for Medicines and Medical Technologies, is produced in France, and no other type of medication of Turkish origin intended for asthma patients is registered in Armenia.

Later, NEWS.am found out that the French-produced medication had previously been imported into Armenia from Russia; however, due to sanctions against the Russian Federation, the supply of this medication has been discontinued. Currently, this particular drug of French origin is again available in some pharmacies, but its method of import into Armenia remains unclear.

In response to an inquiry from NEWS.am, the Armenian Ministry of Health disclosed that currently only one type of medication of Turkish origin is registered in Armenia. This pertains to the type known as Biemexol (yohesol), which is an injection solution, and the registration certificate holder is the Turkish company Biem Ilac San (Tangodan/Kankaya, Ankara, Turkey).

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