Kazakhstan has seen a decrease in the prices of more than five hundred medicines. This is the result of systematic monitoring of drug prices, reports infohub.kz.
According to the report, drugs widely used for treating infectious, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal diseases have become cheaper. Following inspections, 147 items saw price reductions of over 20%, 198 items by 10–20%, and another 244 medications by 5–10%. Prices for the remaining 1,267 drugs remained unchanged.
"Today, with the rapid growth of social media, many medicines are advertised and sold through ads, and they may be unregistered. If you encounter such cases, contact us. By law, every drug must undergo registration. State regulation of prices applies to 3,039 prescription drugs," said Damir Dauletbayev, head of the department of the Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Control of the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan.
Consumers can also check drug prices themselves. If the price at a pharmacy seems questionable, it can be verified using the NAQTY ONIM mobile app. Packages produced after July 1, 2024, carry a special Data Matrix code. Scanning it with a smartphone camera provides information about the manufacturer, registration data, marking status, and the product's movement along the supply chain.
"The app was developed as part of the state system for digital marking and traceability of goods. Its use enhances transparency in the pharmaceutical market. Users can find out the price of a drug through this app and compare it with the pharmacy price," noted Zhamilya Madimarova, head of the department at the Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Control of the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan.
It is reported that efforts to identify and seize counterfeit and unmarked medicines are being intensified. In the first half of 2026, six cases of exceeding maximum prices were detected. Administrative measures were taken against violators, with total fines amounting to 1.4 million tenge.