WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE IN MEDICINAL PRODUCTS IN UKRAINE. “UKRBUSINESSCONSULT”

Licence for retail trade in medicinal products and opening a pharmacy

Opening a pharmacy combines selection of a retail outlet, pharmaceutical service and licensed activity. The premises must support proper storage, personnel must support dispensing and consultation, and accounting must support product traceability and compliance with special rules.

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Before submission, the purpose and layout of the premises, accessibility, storage zones, refrigeration equipment, personnel model, software accounting, RRO/PRRO and the procedure for handling prescriptions are checked.

When the service is needed

Before leasing premises, it is important for the owner to determine the format: pharmacy, pharmacy point, distance selling, delivery, participation in reimbursement programmes or work with controlled medicines. Each element changes the requirements and economics of the project.

For the owner, it is important to connect licensing of retail trade in medicinal products with the contractual model, budget and launch schedule. The solution should take account not only of formal processing but also of how the company will confirm information to clients, the bank, partners and state authorities.

The work begins by defining the scope of the task. UBC analyses the source information, separates mandatory actions from internal management decisions and forms a process corresponding to the scale of the project and the planned model of retail sale of medicines and pharmacy operation.

What has changed in the procedure

Previously, obtaining a pharmacy licence was associated with paper information about material resources, the qualifications of the pharmacy manager and inspection of the premises. Ordering and dispensing took place mainly at a physical retail outlet.

In 2026, the licence and registered place of activity remain the basis of pharmacy operations, while electronic prescriptions, information systems and distance models create additional processes. Changes to licensing conditions require accurate information to be maintained throughout the activity.

Digitalisation has reduced some technical operations, but the quality of source data has become even more important. An electronic system compares information faster, while discrepancies in the company name, authority, addresses, licences, activity codes or project documentation lead to requests, suspension of review or repeated filing.

A comparison of the previous and modern procedures is useful for a business owner: it explains the origin of familiar terms and at the same time shows which document, register entry, electronic notice or authority decision confirms the right to conduct the activity today.

Comparison of approaches: before and in 2026

Sequence and main stages of providing the service

It is practical to organise the work in stages. This approach helps align the commercial objective, document set and responsibility of participants in advance and then control the result at each stage.

1. choose the pharmacy format and list of additional activities;
2. check the premises, layout, accessibility and engineering conditions;
3. form the personnel model and appoint the pharmacy manager;
4. set up storage, accounting, prescription dispensing and standard procedures;
5. prepare the licensing information and submit the application;
6. after the decision, organise internal control and notifications of changes;

After each stage is completed, a verifiable result is recorded: agreed source data, submitted package, registration number, decision, extract, licence or another document corresponding to the service. This control makes it possible to move to the next stage of retail sale of medicines and pharmacy operation without losing the logic of the project.

What is needed to start work

For an initial assessment, there is no need to collect every possible document. It is enough to prepare the information required to determine the applicable procedure and make an exact list of further actions:

• registration information of the company or sole proprietor;
• documents for the premises and floor plan;
• list of equipment, refrigerators and temperature-control devices;
• documents on education, experience and employment relations of personnel;
• description of storage, dispensing, returns, quarantine and recall;
• information about software, RRO/PRRO and electronic prescriptions;

Where some documents are held by a partner, premises owner, designer, auditor or foreign participant, this is recorded separately in the working list. Requests can then be sent in parallel rather than making the entire schedule depend on one document that is still being prepared.

Service specifics and organisational matters

Even where filing takes place online, the main work remains managerial. Within the company, responsible persons must be appointed, source data agreed and consistency ensured for documents supplied to the registrar, bank, regulator or counterparty.

The issue of licensing retail trade in medicinal products usually concerns several company functions: management, accounting, legal, technical or commercial team. The decisions of these participants should be based on one set of source data and one agreed version of the documents.

A risk arises if the registered address, actual location, operating hours, personnel and licence data do not form one consistent model. A change of pharmacy manager, premises or sales format is reflected in documents and procedures in a timely manner.

It is practical to maintain a concise register of control points: what was filed, who signed it, what number was assigned, where the electronic original is stored and who checks the next deadline. For ongoing services, a calendar of updates, reporting and change notifications is also established.

• daily temperature control and expiry-date checks;
• approval of suppliers and acceptance of each delivery;
• separation of prescription and non-prescription dispensing;
• personnel training and control of replacement of responsible persons;
• updating licence data and information for each place of trade;

What you will receive as a result

For the owner, a normal result is not a separate certificate or system entry, but the ability to lawfully and predictably conduct the chosen activity, enter into contracts, receive payment and confirm the company's status to partners.

The working result is a pharmacy that lawfully sells medicines, ensures quality of storage and dispensing, works correctly with prescriptions and provides the customer with predictable professional service.

After completion of the formalities, the company receives a clear working basis for retail sale of medicines and pharmacy operation: employees know the sequence of actions, documents are available for verification, and the owner sees not only the legal status but also its effect on sales, settlements and project development.

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