Ask any consumer who walks into a Yerevan drugstore and they’ll tell you they have their doubts when purchasing medicines.

Their fears were amplified today when MP Karen Avagyan charged certain drugstores with selling expired medicines because of the lack of proper oversight. He also pointed to the wide disparity in prices.

Avagyan charges drugstore employees with pushing more expensive brand name drugs over generic versions even though there is little difference between the two.

There’s also the problem that many drugstore counters are staffed by non-professionals who are in no position to advise customers on what medications to take for this or that ailment.

This is a major problem in Armenia where people prefer to treat themselves rather than consulting a physician.

Imported medications also lack instructions in Armenia, noted Avagyan.

In response, Ministry of Health Chief of Staff Souren Krmoyan said that they are planning to have all foreign medication instructions translated into Armenian by 2013.

Krmoyan categorically stated that counterfeit drugs are stopped at the border and that new laws regarding the proper production of medications will be adopted by January, 2013.

He also spoke about a new program to boost inspections of drugstores and the product they sell.

Hakob Topchyan, who heads the Drug and Medical Technologies Experimental Center, said that there are currently 14 drug producers in Armenia with 500 of the 4,500 registered drugs/medications domestically produced.

“They are generic drugs copied from the original brands,” said Topchyan.

Krmoyan said that during the past year 34 suits to suspend drugstore operations were filed with the courts.

17 stores were fined for medication violations – either the sale of unregistered drugs or for storing expired product.