Astana, 3 November. The time needed to register medicines from countries with high quality-control standards has fallen from two years to 15 working days, Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova said at a government meeting.
In the first nine months of 2026 Kazakhstan issued 1,048 registration certificates, more than in the whole of 2025. Under the fast-track procedure 16 medicines and medical devices from the United States, Germany, France, Denmark, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea have been registered. One in four registered medicines is made in the country; the register holds 7,275 names in all. According to the ministry, Kazakhstan ranks among the leaders of the Eurasian Economic Union by the number of registered medicines. More than 600 services have been provided through the “single window”, and artificial intelligence is being introduced to analyse registration documents.
Oversight is tightening at the same time. From 1 January 2027, the ministry said, new rules will let inspectors take samples of medicines and medical devices outside the plan and without notice, and temporarily suspend suppliers and the validity of registration certificates. Since 2026 there has been one more mechanism: the state itself starts registration without waiting for a manufacturer’s application. It has been used to begin registering more than 112 unregistered products bought by the Single Distributor; the ministry calls it a way to widen the list of available medicines, including for severe and rare diseases.
The World Health Organization has confirmed maturity level three for the national regulatory system, and Kazakhstan, the statement says, is the first CIS country to reach it. A complex for testing vaccines in Astana is named as the next step. Adverse reactions to medicines are collected by a digital system connected to medical information systems and to the WHO global database; a separate service takes reports of reactions after vaccination.
What it means: The state is opening the door faster and putting more inspectors beside it: fast-track registration for medicines from countries with high standards, registration on the state’s own initiative, and unannounced sampling from 2027.
Who benefits: Patients who need new and rare medicines; manufacturers from the six named countries, who now get an answer in weeks rather than years; and the Single Distributor, whose products will be registered. Prices of the new medicines and the time they will take to reach pharmacies are not stated.
Background: At the same meeting Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said it is unacceptable for patients not to receive bought medicines on time, or to pay for them themselves.
