Ulaanbaatar
A New Milestone for Affordable Access to Quality-Assured Medicines in Mongolia
Society
Ulaanbaatar, November 27, 2024 /MONTSAME/. On November 22, 2024, the Ministry of Health of Mongolia and the Medicine and Medical Devices Regulatory Authority signed a procurement contract with South Korean pharmaceutical company DongKoo Bio & Pharma. This marks the beginning of improving the quality and safety of medicines distributed in Mongolia while providing access to effective and affordable medications.
Minister of Health Munkhsaikhan Togtmol stated, “The Government is implementing a policy to purchase high-quality medicines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) at low prices from countries with strict medicine regulations. Based on international experience, agreements of this nature both decrease future medical costs and increase the variety of medicines available to citizens. Mongolia will use this model to secure the availability of affordable quality-assured medicines.”
As part of this initial procurement contract, DongKoo Bio & Pharma will supply five types of medicines to Mongolia, including medicine for diabetes, hypertension, blood thinning, and antifungal applications. These medicines will be priced on average 50 percent lower than the customs value of medicine with the same composition. Additionally, citizens will be able to access these medications from the Health Insurance Fund with subsidized costs.
Recent amendments to the Law on Medicines and Medical Devices, the Law on Procurement of Goods, Works, and Services with State and Local Property Funds of Mongolia have established a legal foundation for the direct procurement of quality-assured medicines, medical devices, bioactive products, and vaccines from international organizations and foreign manufacturers.
In September 2024, Minister of Health Munkhsaikhan Togtmol visited the Republic of Korea to meet with pharmaceutical manufacturers from countries with strict regulatory and monitoring standards, recognized by the WHO. During his visit, the Minister of Health negotiated to supply Mongolia with effective medicines at reasonable prices. Following these negotiations, the Ministry of Health announced the finalization of price agreements with four well-known pharmaceutical companies in the Republic of Korea, where the purchase of 18 types of medicines currently subsidized by the Health Insurance Fund would be provided to citizens.
