Over 2,500 pharmacies in Uzbekistan penalized for inflating medicine prices

According to the committee’s press service, approximately 2,500 pharmacies systematically breached state-mandated pricing controls by exceeding maximum allowable retail markups. The severity of the violations varied significantly, with profit margins inflated from an extra 10% up to three times the legally permitted limit. These unfair pricing practices enabled retailers to generate an estimated UZS 21.1 billion in unlawful revenues.

The regulatory crackdown has maintained momentum into the current year. During the first quarter of 2026 alone, inspectorates identified 110,500 overpricing violations across more than 190 pharmacies. In response, authorities initiated enforcement actions that have already led to the recovery and consumer reimbursement of over UZS 1.4 billion in excess charges.

This follow-up operation expands on broader enforcement trends documented over the past year. In February, the committee reported 267,456 violations of reference prices for medicines recorded throughout 2025. By early April, the cumulative number of documented violations rose to 414,300, with nearly 147,000 occurring in the opening months of this year.

To date, the antitrust watchdog has successfully secured price adjustments and financial clawbacks totaling UZS 8.5 billion. Beyond financial penalties, the regulator has pushed for strict administrative consequences, resulting in the revocation of operating licenses for six pharmaceutical enterprises found to be in severe violation of compliance standards.

The Competition Committee reminds the public that consumers can independently verify maximum allowable retail prices for prescription and over-the-counter drugs through the official reference price registry, which is managed and updated by the Pharmaceutical Industry Development Agency. If consumers notice price discrepancies on their receipts, they are urged to report the violations to the committee via its dedicated short-code hotline at 1159.