Russians destroyed the warehouse of one of the largest drug distributors in Ukraine: is there a threat of shortage?
On October 25, the central warehouse of pharmaceutical distributor Optima-Pharm in Kyiv region was targeted by Russian shelling. The warehouse held about 20% of Ukraine’s monthly supply of medicines, creating a real threat of a temporary shortage of drugs in the capital and the region.
This is reported by “Economic Truth”.
The attack also affected the company’s office, destroying equipment and databases that stored information about logistics routes and pharmacy chain needs. As a result, the company temporarily suspended the delivery of medicines to Kyiv and the region, which were serviced by the destroyed warehouse.
“We plan to resume the transportation of medicines this week,” said Optima-Pharm CEO Igor Gutsal. He added that the company continues to deliver drugs from regional warehouses, but this does not yet cover 100% of the market’s needs.
According to the company’s estimates, the damage from the strike is about 100 million US dollars (≈ 4.2 billion UAH), which is equivalent to 5% of Optima-Pharm’s turnover in 2024. The warehouse stored about 20% of the monthly supply of medicines in Ukraine, and in total the company has 11 warehouses across the country.
The greatest material damage was caused to the company’s databases. They contained information about deliveries, logistics routes, and the needs of pharmacy chains, which makes it difficult to quickly restore supplies.
Following the attack on October 27, delays in drug deliveries were observed in Kyiv and the region, as the destroyed warehouse served the region. The company has temporarily suspended contracting and transporting drugs to warehouses in Kyiv and the region, but continues to deliver from other regional warehouses.
Representatives of the pharmaceutical market note that the situation may create a temporary shortage of certain drugs, but a catastrophic shortage is not expected. The market already has experience of rapid recovery after attacks on BaDM warehouses in Kyiv and Poltava regions.
Acting General Director of “BaDM” Dmytro Babenko noted:
“We are currently shipping additional orders from pharmacy chains. There will be problems for 2–3 weeks, then the situation will stabilize and supply will be restored in full.”
Kyiv pharmacies are also preparing for disruptions, especially in frontline regions. Executive Director of the “911” pharmacy chain Yulia Klymenyuk said:
“Pharmacy chains must reformat their logistics chains. There may be disruptions for a week, but we do not expect a critical shortage.”
Oleksandr Chumak, a representative of pharmaceutical manufacturer InterChem, added that the market has enough product leftovers, and the situation is a logistical and financial challenge that will be resolved within a few weeks.
As a reminder, on the night of October 25, the Russian occupiers launched a ballistic missile strike on Kyiv. One person died as a result of this attack.
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