BAKU - A doctor prescribes a medicine, but the patient can buy it only at one specific address. Another drug disappears from shelves and later returns at a higher price. Such cases are fueling questions about access to medicines and distrust of Azerbaijan’s pharmacy market.
Participants in a televised discussion examined medicine quality, supply disruptions and the practice of directing patients to particular pharmacies.
A Prescription With a Specific Address
One of the central questions was why some medicines appear to be available at only one pharmacy. The program’s host described cases in which patients were willing to pay for a prescribed drug but could not find it through ordinary retail channels.
A pharmacy-sector representative said pharmacies purchase products from importers and wholesalers. If a medicine does not enter the supply system available to them, they cannot offer it to customers.
He said the problem becomes more serious when medicines arrive in small quantities through unofficial channels and patients are directed to a specific seller. Other pharmacies lose customers, while the patient becomes dependent on one location.
Monopoly Claims and a Price Dispute
Participants also criticized the structure of the medicine market. One speaker said new suppliers face difficulty entering and competing with established companies.
As an example, the participant said a drug with the same active ingredient costs about 5 manats, or $2.95, in Turkey but about 50 manats, or $29.40, in Azerbaijan. The program did not identify the product or provide documentation allowing the comparison to be independently checked.
Industry representatives said supply also depends on acquisition costs and Azerbaijan’s regulated sale prices. If import expenses rise while the approved retail ceiling remains unchanged, bringing a medicine into the country may cease to be commercially viable.
Retail prices for registered medicines in Azerbaijan are regulated and approved by the Tariff Council. The council publishes maximum wholesale and retail prices, with its most recent 2026 list dated July 22. The official lists are available on its website.
Why Medicines Disappear From Pharmacies
Participants cited several possible reasons for shortages, including the expiration of a medicine’s state registration and importers halting deliveries because of disagreements over price.
The discussion recalled shortages of iodine during the pandemic. A pharmacy representative said its acquisition cost rose while the permitted retail price was not adjusted quickly enough, requiring an appeal to the Tariff Council.
Other speakers said patients deserve clear explanations when widely used medicines disappear or return at different prices. Without that transparency, they said, shortages may be perceived as a way to prepare consumers for price increases.
Quality Requires Evidence
The program also addressed a widespread belief among patients that medicines bought abroad work better than products sold in Azerbaijan.
A representative of an official body rejected the idea that manufacturers deliberately alter the composition of medicines for Azerbaijan. He said every product must comply with an established specification defining its ingredients and quality indicators.
He said he buys medicines from Azerbaijani pharmacies, chooses them by active ingredient and has not personally encountered grounds to doubt their quality.
Other participants called for public confidence to be supported by inspection results and clear responses to complaints. Patients need to know where to report a suspected problem and how a particular package or production batch will be examined, they said.
The Health Ministry’s Analytical Expertise Center oversees medicine registration, inspection and pharmacovigilance. In August, the center said a media report about sharply different pharmacy prices had prompted an unscheduled inspection and stressed that medicine prices are regulated. The agency published its findings online.
Electronic Prescriptions Need a Connected System
A doctor participating in the discussion said electronic prescriptions require functioning infrastructure and coordination between medical institutions and pharmacies.
Participants also discussed prescribing by active ingredient. They warned that commercial influence over the choice of a drug could simply move from the doctor’s office to the pharmacy counter unless the entire system is transparent.
The clearest demand from the discussion was for patients to be told why a prescribed medicine is unavailable, how its price was determined and what evidence supports its quality. Without such answers, the instruction to “buy it only at this pharmacy” will continue to raise suspicion.
Source: Vesti Baku, based on the televised discussion.