President Mirziyoyev calls for tougher penalties for counterfeit medicine trade

The directive was announced during a meeting chaired by the president on March 5, where participants discussed measures to combat the circulation of low-quality and fake pharmaceutical products in the country.

During the meeting, it was noted that Uzbekistan has been actively working in recent years to attract major global pharmaceutical manufacturers, often referred to as Big Pharma, to invest in the country. However, such companies typically assess whether a strong system exists to ensure the quality and safety of medicines before launching production in a new market.

Officials reported that more than 57,000 types of unregistered and counterfeit medicines were identified in Uzbekistan last year alone.

Authorities also expressed concern that the growing presence of counterfeit copies has prompted several reputable foreign companies to suspend supplies of certain original medicines to the Uzbek market. According to the discussion, imports of 21 types of original medicines were halted as a result.

The president instructed responsible agencies to apply uncompromising measures against the illegal circulation of medicines – similar to the approach used in combating narcotic and psychotropic substances.

Participants emphasized the need to prepare a separate draft law that would sharply increase liability for the production, sale, and distribution of counterfeit and substandard pharmaceutical products.

The meeting also addressed measures aimed at supporting the development of Uzbekistan’s pharmaceutical industry.

It was announced that beginning April 1, 2026, pharmaceutical projects will be granted tax incentives. Previously, such benefits were largely tied to projects located within specialized pharmaceutical zones. Entrepreneurs had requested that these incentives be expanded due to the absence of such zones in many regions.

The president supported the proposal and approved additional opportunities for pharmaceutical enterprises.

Under the new rules, projects related to production of pharmaceutical products, cultivation of medicinal plants and processing of medicinal plant raw materials will be exempt from land tax for three years, regardless of their location.

In addition, entrepreneurs implementing these projects will not be required to pay profit tax or property tax for three years starting from the launch of the project.