Medicines in pharmacies to be checked in a new way in Kazakhstan

Tengrinews.kz — Kazakhstan is set to tighten quality control over medicines sold in pharmacies. Mazhilis Deputy Askhat Aimagambetov shared details regarding the new amendments shared on his Telegram channel.
Key changes introduced
The MP explained the amendments to strengthen pharmaceutical oversight, which were recently signed into law by the Head of State.
Now, if specialists discover counterfeit or substandard drugs, the violator's operations can be suspended without waiting for the completion of court proceedings, and an investigation can be launched immediately.

"Previously, potentially dangerous products could remain on sale for months. Now, the response must follow on the very day the violation is identified," he wrote.

Another significant change concerns drug quality testing.
As the deputy noted, pharmaceutical control specialists were previously unable to independently take a medicine from a pharmacy shelf and send it for analysis. For testing purposes, they had to contact the manufacturer, who would then decide which batch to provide.

"It’s like allowing a student to choose their own exam ticket that they already know the answer to," the lawmaker remarked.

Now, government agencies will independently select medicine samples for analysis..
21,000 illegal drugs
The deputy also cited Ministry of Health data, which he says demonstrates the effectiveness of the drug labeling system.

"While 151 items of illegally sold products were identified in 2022, in 2025 that figure has already exceeded 21,000 units," the post reads.

Additionally, the labeling system helped uncover another scheme. It was revealed that the same packages of free medicines purchased by the state for patients could be written off twice. According to the deputy, this confirms the importance of tracking a drug's entire journey—from the manufacturer to the specific individual.