The #RightToChoice campaign is our public call for honesty and transparency in the pharmaceutical market, aimed at protecting the rights and health of patients.

Today in Ukraine, major players in the pharmaceutical market increasingly influence which drugs patients receive. Consumers are increasingly finding themselves in a situation where pharmacies do not give them a choice, but impose “the same”, “no worse”, “similar”. But in reality, it is not always the same. The difference may be in the quality of raw materials, levels of purification, bioavailability, production control, effectiveness in critical conditions. These are not just nuances, but the principles on which evidence-based medicine is based, which affect the health of patients. Therefore, we decided to raise this topic publicly and start a public discussion.

The # Right to Choose video exposes a dangerous system of drug substitution and monopolization. It aims to convey to the public that it is not permissible to substitute a doctor's prescription or impose one's own trademarks (VTM) on the consumer under the guise of «of the same". We advocate for the choice of drug to be transparent and based on the informed consent of the patient, not on marketing strategies or commercial agreements of networks.

This is not about a conflict with the industry, but about protecting a fundamental principle: the consumer's right to informed choice. We respect the work of pharmacists and understand the pressure they work under. It is about ethical boundaries: you cannot substitute a doctor's decision or a patient's expectations for your own commercial goals. And the lack of clear regulation of the imposition of TMs leads to the systematic practice of such substitution.

The message of #RightToChoose is clear and it is:

  • About the patient's right to choose. The patient should know what they are buying. A substitute is not always “the same,” and “cheaper” is not always safer.
  • About proven quality. Atoxil is a drug with a long history of clinical efficacy, certified production and full quality control. We do not compete with copies, we advocate responsible treatment, when the result for the patient is the main thing.
  • About professional honor. We want pharmacists to be able to recommend to their clients, without any pressure, exactly those drugs that they themselves, as professionals, are convinced of their effectiveness and safety. So that they can sell without obstacles what really helps, and not what is a point of the company's financial strategy.
  • On the inadmissibility of market monopolization, which undermines trust in the entire pharmaceutical industry.Abuse of control over the sale of drugs is a way to lose the reputation of Ukrainian pharmacy, which has been built up over decades. When consumers systematically receive dubious “analogues” instead of high-quality, proven drugs, they will sooner or later begin to doubt the integrity of all market players.

We advocate for transparency, honesty and ethics in the pharmaceutical sector.
Pharmacy should work according to the principles of evidence-based medicine, not commercial priorities. Health is not a space for experiments. This is the responsibility of each of us: a doctor, a pharmacist, a manufacturer, a pharmacy chain.

We do not question the right of pharmacy chains to develop their business, create their own brands and make a profit. But these rights should not diminish the rights of others: the patient's right to know the truth, the doctor's right to authoritative prescription, the manufacturer's right to be represented honestly. We stand for freedom of choice, for freedom of competition, for the protection of consumer rights - and we consider it our duty as honest people, – note at Orisil-Pharm.