Ukrainian pharmacies to start stocking medical cannabis medicines as early as 2025

The first medicines utilizing medicinal cannabis have been officially recognized in Ukraine and could potentially be available in Ukrainian pharmacies by as soon as 2025.

The Patients of Ukraine charitable foundation and the People's Deputy, member of the parliamentary committee on health Olha Stefanishyna reported that.

Based on the foundation, the Spanish medicine brand officially received registration in the form of oral drops.

"The Spanish brand has officially registered the first active pharmaceutical ingredient on the Ukrainian market," the foundation noted.

Patients can receive medically prescribed cannabis through electronic prescriptions. These prescriptions can be filled at licensed pharmacies that are authorized to sell, produce, and distribute narcotic substances.

"The registration of the first medicines is a huge victory for Ukrainian patients who have been fighting for a life without pain for six years," the foundation said.

According to the foundation, in addition to oral cannabis drops, pharmacies will soon be able to purchase:

• hard capsules,
• dental pastes and gels.

These forms of medication were approved by the Ministry of Health in 2024.

In addition, a list of diseases and conditions for which doctors will be able to prescribe treatment with medical cannabis has been adopted. Treatment will be available for patients with chronic pain, Parkinson's disease, nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, Tourette syndrome, drug-resistant epilepsy, diseases that cause seizures in childhood, and anorexia due to HIV. The full list can be found here.

However, the foundation insists that PTSD should also be included in the list.

For reference:

It is  important to mention that the law legalizing medical cannabis took effect on August 16. It covers the use of cannabis solely for medical, industrial, scientific, and technical purposes. Any unauthorized distribution of marijuana for recreational use is considered a criminal offense.

In September, the Ministry of Health determined the list of diseases and conditions for which medical cannabis will be prescribed. In general, these are cases when the use of other drugs does not help or causes side effects that are poorly tolerated by the patient.

Since October 1, Ukraine has implemented an electronic system for tracking medical cannabis, which enables the tracking of its journey. Unfortunately, the sale of medicines is not yet possible, but the first pharmacy has already been registered to sell medicines containing medical cannabis.