Ukraine has taken an important step in the medical field, officially registering the first drugs based on medical cannabis. According to MP Olga Stefanyshyn, Spanish oral drops became the first drugs of this type to be used. The manufacturer has already registered an active pharmaceutical ingredient (AFI), and since the beginning of 2025 the drugs will be available in pharmacies in Ukraine.
In addition to oral drops, other forms of medicines will appear in pharmacies: solid capsules, dental pastes and gels. They were all approved by the Ministry of Health in 2024.
The drugs will be released exclusively by an electronic prescription, which will be prescribed by a doctor in the name of a particular patient. Pharmacies that can sell these medicines should have licenses for retail trade, the manufacture of drugs and the circulation of drugs.
The Ministry of Health has approved a list of diseases and conditions in which doctors can prescribe treatment with medical cannabis:
- Chronic pain.
- Parkinson's disease.
- Nausea and vomiting caused by chemical therapy.
- Torett's syndrome.
- Pharmaceutical epilepsy.
- Cramping attacks in childhood.
- Anorexia as a result of HIV.
Nevertheless, the patient's representatives insist on the expansion of the list. According to Inna Ivanenko, the executive director of Patients of Ukraine, post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) should be added to the list.
“We have reached an important compromise: the medicine can be prescribed according to the conclusion of the medical and advisory commission in hospitals with a scientific base. This will allow treatment for more patients who need it, ”Ivanenko added.
