Ruslan Zakiev, head of the Diabetes Parents' Committee, stated that the Ministry of Health's actual decisions are inconsistent with the agency's official statements on "expanding access to diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation" starting January 1, 2026. According to him, a number of adopted changes, on the contrary, worsen the situation for patients with chronic diseases, primarily diabetes.
As Zakiev noted, GLP-1 agonists have been completely excluded from the outpatient drug supply system since the beginning of 2026. Previously, liraglutide and dulaglutide were purchased for patients with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high cardiovascular risk. However, no alternative therapy was offered to patients. The activist emphasized that, using state procurement guarantees under the ALO, one foreign investor localized the production of a more modern drug from this group in Kazakhstan, which, in his opinion, calls into question the investment predictability of the pharmaceutical market.
Furthermore, as of January 1, 2026, glucometers will be completely excluded from the Single Distributor (SK-Pharmacia) list. The state will continue to provide insulin-treated patients with test strips only, while glucose monitoring devices are now required to be purchased at their own expense. Ruslan Zakiyev recalled that in 2021, Kazakhstan, represented by the Ministry of Health, signed the Global Compact on Diabetes, under which, as a WHO member, in 2022, it committed to five global diabetes targets to be achieved by 2030. Point 5 of this list states: 100 percent of people with type 1 diabetes have access to affordable insulin therapy and self-monitoring of blood glucose levels.
"I don't yet know what patients should do. But based on the two facts described, I seriously doubt the Ministry of Health has the right to talk about expanding access to diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation," the activist notes.
Источник: Казахстанский Фармацевтический Вестник, pharmnews.kz
As Zakiev noted, GLP-1 agonists have been completely excluded from the outpatient drug supply system since the beginning of 2026. Previously, liraglutide and dulaglutide were purchased for patients with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high cardiovascular risk. However, no alternative therapy was offered to patients. The activist emphasized that, using state procurement guarantees under the ALO, one foreign investor localized the production of a more modern drug from this group in Kazakhstan, which, in his opinion, calls into question the investment predictability of the pharmaceutical market.
Furthermore, as of January 1, 2026, glucometers will be completely excluded from the Single Distributor (SK-Pharmacia) list. The state will continue to provide insulin-treated patients with test strips only, while glucose monitoring devices are now required to be purchased at their own expense. Ruslan Zakiyev recalled that in 2021, Kazakhstan, represented by the Ministry of Health, signed the Global Compact on Diabetes, under which, as a WHO member, in 2022, it committed to five global diabetes targets to be achieved by 2030. Point 5 of this list states: 100 percent of people with type 1 diabetes have access to affordable insulin therapy and self-monitoring of blood glucose levels.
"I don't yet know what patients should do. But based on the two facts described, I seriously doubt the Ministry of Health has the right to talk about expanding access to diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation," the activist notes.
Источник: Казахстанский Фармацевтический Вестник, pharmnews.kz
