Aversi founder Paata Kurtanidze says the idea of creating a Coordination Council to work on medicine prices was raised during the pharmaceutical sector’s meeting with the Government’s Price Commission. According to him, the new body would unite several ministries, as reducing medicine costs is linked to issues such as local production and broader economic policy.
Kurtanidze said pharmaceutical companies have already submitted written proposals outlining steps the government and industry can take to make medicines more affordable. He described the meeting as productive and noted that the government expressed full readiness to review and implement the sector’s recommendations. “Government and companies share the same goal - to make medicines as affordable as possible,” he said.
He emphasized that competition in the pharmaceutical sector is strong, adding that companies already sell more than 20% of medicines below reference prices due to market pressure. Out of roughly 10,000 medicines available in Georgia, about 7,000 are already regulated through reference pricing.
Regarding further price reductions, Kurtanidze pointed to an upcoming strict regulation on medicine registration, warning that it could push low-cost medicines out of the market and force consumers toward more expensive alternatives. He said the government signaled readiness to review this rule, and expressed confidence that through coordinated work, additional opportunities to lower prices will emerge.
