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FRANKFURT — Generic drug maker Stada has asked the German government to seek assurances from Ukraine that it can continue to operate there even though it also does business in Russia, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
In a March 21 letter to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Stada CEO Peter Goldschmidt said there was a risk Kyiv could withdraw the company’s market license.
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Stada “still has no long-term certainty that we will be able to sell our products in Ukraine in the future,” the letter read, with the subject line: “Please prevent exclusion of pharmaceutical companies. international products from the Ukrainian market.”
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The Economy Ministry had no immediate comment on the letter.
Habeck promised to secure investment for German companies during a trip to Ukraine on Tuesday as part of a goal to speed up reconstruction in the war-torn country.
Goldschmidt said restricting Stada’s activities would not be good for Ukraine.
“In a worst-case scenario, this means that vital drugs will suddenly no longer be available to Ukrainian patients as Stada and other manufacturers will have to stop production and distribution,” he said.
The drug is excluded from Western sanctions on Russia, an important market for Stada. Pharmaceutical companies such as Stada and German rivals Bayer and Boehringer Ingelheim continue to supply the country.
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Stada says it has invested more than 60 million euros ($66 million) in Ukraine since 2019 with the acquisition of Ukrainian drugmaker Biopharma, which the company says remains its largest investment to date. of a foreign pharmaceutical company in Ukraine and allowing them to move to operate primarily locally. manufacture.
Goldschmidt told Habeck that Stada was keen to maintain its presence in Ukraine. “Therefore, we once again ask for your support and give clear signals in the direction of Ukraine strengthening German companies there,” his letter added.
($1 = 0.9136 euros) (Reporting by Patricia Weiss and Andreas Rinke; Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Mark Potter)
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