Pharmacies in Uzbekistan earned billions through inflated drug prices in 2025

Pharmacies in Uzbekistan earned nearly UZS 8 billion illegally in 2025 by overpricing medicines, according to the Competition Development and Consumer Protection Committee.

In a statement, the committee said it had identified 267,456 violations related to excessive trade mark-ups on medicines during inspections carried out throughout the year. The violations were uncovered following complaints submitted via the Fair Tech digital platform.

Checks revealed irregularities in 765 pharmacies nationwide, including 119 wholesale and 646 retail outlets. As a result of unlawful pricing practices, these pharmacies generated unjustified income totaling UZS 7.95 billion.

The committee said the overcharged amounts were recalculated in favor of consumers, and measures were taken to restore the rights of an unspecified number of affected customers. In addition, materials related to breaches of licensing requirements were forwarded to the Pharmaceutical Products Safety Centre for further action.

Regionally, the highest number of violations and the largest amounts of unjustified income were recorded in Tashkent city, Surkhandarya region, and Samarkand region, where the total exceeded UZS 4.2 billion.

In Tashkent city alone, inspections covered 173 pharmacies and identified 131,219 cases of overpricing, resulting in unjustified income of UZS 1.4 billion. In Surkhandarya region, 53 pharmacies were found to have committed 9,445 violations amounting to UZS 1.57 billion, while in Samarkand region, 57 pharmacies recorded 5,167 violations totaling UZS 1.23 billion.

Significant violations were also reported in Bukhara region, where 53 pharmacies generated nearly UZS 929.4 million in unjustified income, and in Tashkent region, where 63 pharmacies accounted for UZS 735.1 million. Other regions, including Namangan, Navoi, Fergana, and Khorezm, also reported substantial numbers of violations and financial gains from inflated prices.

The committee said enforcement efforts would continue, adding that measures against pharmacies found to be in breach of legislation would be strengthened. It also announced that a list of offending pharmacies would be published openly to ensure transparency and consumer awareness.