Kazakhstan drug prices surge up to 75% as sales volume drops 21%
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Prices for common drugs in Kazakhstan rose 30–75% over the past year, with activated charcoal up 75.2% and aspirin up 74.1%, according to Bureau of National Statistics data. Despite the surge, physical sales volume fell 21.3% in Q1 2026, as consumers bought 93 million packs versus 118 million a year earlier. The market held revenue flat at 185 billion tenge only through price increases, not demand.
Price Surge by Drug
The Bureau of National Statistics recorded a 20.2% average annual increase across all pharmaceutical products. However, essential household drugs saw much sharper rises: activated charcoal +75.2%, aspirin +74.1%, paracetamol +50.8%, No-Spa +48.8%, Smecta +35.0%, Corvalol +30.9%, ethyl alcohol +27.6%, Aqualor +26.2%, Omez +23.8%, Acyclovir +21.4%, and Iodomarin +20.4%. The data covers the period through mid-2026.
Sales Volume Collapse
Proxima Research International reported that in Q1 2026, the weighted average price per pack rose 27.5% year-on-year. Cash sales reached 185 billion tenge, virtually unchanged from 184.5 billion a year earlier. But the number of packs sold fell 21.3% to 93 million, indicating consumers are buying less. Analysts noted that 'consumption is declining amid high price growth, and the consumer is becoming more economical and rational.'
Import Dependence
Kazakhstan's pharmaceutical market relies on imports for 85% of its value and 67–68% of physical volume. This makes retail prices highly sensitive to exchange rates, logistics disruptions, and global inflation. The government has not announced new measures to boost domestic production or regulate prices since the data was released.
What's Next
The Ministry of Health is expected to review the pricing data and may consider temporary price controls on essential drugs. It remains unclear whether the government will address the structural import dependence or if prices will continue to rise as the tenge weakens.
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Kazakhstan drug prices surge up to 75% as sales volume drops 21%
