As previously reported, the Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Control of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in order to reduce the financial burden on patients and eliminate unreasonable markups, introduced a mechanism for setting maximum prices for medicines.
Currently, price limits are set for 4,994 trade names sold in the retail network. This list includes drugs used in the treatment of chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, infectious diseases and other common conditions.
Subjects of pharmaceutical activity are obliged to sell medicines at prices not exceeding the established maximum levels.
Based on the results of monitoring conducted in 20 regions of the country, in March 2026, compared to June 2025, a decrease in prices for 631 items was recorded by an average of 24.6%.
It must be emphasized that in the regulated segment, more than 50% of medicines remain stable; prices for 25% of medicines have decreased.
At the same time, 1,707 over-the-counter drugs are not subject to government regulation and are sold according to market principles. These include medicines for which, compared to 2025, there is a slight increase in cost – from 5 to 15%, some items show a decrease of up to 11%.
For example, the price of paracetamol for a package of 20 tablets in 2025 was 200 tenge, in 2026, according to the labeling information system, it was 188 tenge, which means a decrease of 6%.
Activated carbon in 2025 was retailed at 130 tenge, in 2026 it rose in price to 144 tenge, an increase of 9%.
At the same time, the increase in prices for individual drugs from 52 to 66%, as reported by some media, has not been confirmed.
In addition, it is important to note that more than 3,000 drugs (44% of registered ones) are exempt from VAT within the framework of the guaranteed volume of medical care and compulsory medical insurance, of which 1,200 drugs for socially significant diseases are exempt from VAT at retail.
Previously, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov spent meeting of the Council of Domestic Entrepreneurs as part of the implementation of the instructions of the Head of State for the development of the Kazakh pharmaceutical and medical industry. During the meeting, a decrease in prices for 631 items of medicines by an average of 24.6% in Kazakhstan was noted.
