Uzbekistan tightens penalties for illegal sale of prescription drugs

Under amendments to the Code of Administrative Responsibility, violations of the rules governing the retail sale of prescription medicines that contain potent substances will now result in significantly higher fines.

Offenders may face a fine ranging from 100 to 200 basic calculation units, equivalent to UZS 41,200,000–82,400,000.

Previously, the penalty for this violation ranged from 50 to 100 BCU.

Amendments to the Criminal Code also introduce stricter punishment for cases where such violations occur after an administrative penalty has already been applied or when the offense involves a large amount.

In these circumstances, offenders may face:

• a fine of 200–300 BCU, reaching up to UZS 123,600,000
• corrective labor for up to three years
• restriction of liberty for two to five years
• imprisonment for up to five years

Previously, the minimum criminal fine for such offenses was set at 100 BCU.

The reforms come as Uzbekistan continues to digitalize oversight of the pharmaceutical market.

In December last year, the Electronic Prescription information system DMED was introduced in Tashkent and in 15 cities and districts across the country. The system aims to improve transparency in the pharmaceutical market, create equal conditions for pharmacies, and detect the circulation of smuggled and illegal pharmaceutical products.

During the first stage of implementation, only antibiotics and hormonal medicines are dispensed strictly by prescription through the system.