From January 1, 2027, Kazakhstan may change its system for controlling the circulation of medicines and medical devices, as the Ministry of Health proposes stricter oversight of their sale, the website infohub.kz reports.
According to the ministry's press service, the new measures are intended to protect citizens from low-quality and unregistered drugs and to promptly crack down on the illegal sale of medicines through pharmacies, marketplaces, social media and other channels.
To this end, a draft joint order by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of National Economy has been developed. The document provides for changes to the risk assessment criteria and inspection checklists in the field of circulation of medicines and medical devices.
"The proposed changes are aimed at improving the effectiveness of state control and oversight, primarily in cases where the violations identified may pose a threat to the life and health of the population," the ministry said.
Particular attention is to be paid to the sale of medicines without the appropriate license; the sale of unregistered, counterfeit and low-quality drugs; the dispensing without a doctor's prescription of medicines containing narcotic drugs, psychotropic and potent substances; and failure to comply with mandatory requirements for pharmaceutical activities.
If such violations are identified, the authorized body will be able to take measures provided for by law, including temporary suspension of operations, a ban on the sale of certain drugs or their withdrawal from circulation.
At the same time, the approach to planning preventive inspections of pharmacies, pharmaceutical organizations and other market participants is being improved. In determining the degree of risk, previously identified violations, inspection results, information from government agencies, investigation findings and other information that allows assessing compliance with established requirements will be taken into account.
"Thus, control measures will primarily target organizations whose activities show signs of violations that could affect the safety and health of citizens. This will make it possible to use state control resources more efficiently and reduce the excessive burden on conscientious market participants," the Ministry of Health said.
For conscientious participants in the pharmaceutical market, improving state control will help create transparent and uniform operating conditions, while for the public it will provide additional protection when purchasing medicines.
The draft joint order was developed as part of efforts to improve legislation in the field of state control and oversight. The proposed changes are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.