Health Ministry Publishes Eight Decisions: Controlled-Medicine Manufacturing, Drug Promotion Rules and a Binding Private-Sector Price List

The Ministry of Health has published eight ministerial decisions in Kuwait Al-Youm Issue 1806, dated 30 August 2026 (pages 5 to 56), most of them signed on 24 August. Together they build the executive layer under Decree-Law No. 159 of 2025 on combating narcotics and psychotropic substances and update long-standing rules under the pharmacy profession law, Law No. 28 of 1996.

Three decisions implement the 2025 narcotics law directly. Decision No. 289 of 2026 sets the conditions for cultivating the narcotic plants listed in Schedule 5 of Group One of the law for medical or scientific research purposes: a two-year renewable licence, fenced and guarded sites, approved registers and notification of the Interior Ministry's drug control administration. Decision No. 290 of 2026 regulates psychotropic preparations kept aboard Kuwaiti and foreign aircraft and vessels for first aid, limited to single-use injections used on board, with losses reported within 48 hours. Decision No. 291 of 2026 creates the licensing regime for producing and manufacturing medicines that contain narcotic or psychotropic substances, under the oversight of the Ministry's pharmaceutical inspection.

Decision No. 296 of 2026 sets rules for promoting medicines and medical products and for company representatives inside Ministry facilities. Violations are graded from simple to serious: promotion outside the approved leaflet, misleading information and conflicts of interest sit in the serious band, and offering benefits or influencing procurement can be referred to the competent authorities, with penalties under Law No. 28 of 1996.

Decision No. 297 of 2026 fixes the price list of human medicines in the private sector under Article 13 of Law No. 28 of 1996, applying the pricing mechanism adopted by Decision No. 62 of 2026. The itemised schedule runs to dozens of pages. Rounding out the package, Decision No. 294 of 2026 standardises first-aid kits and sets minimum first-aider and kit numbers for events by expected attendance, Decision No. 302 of 2026 tightens the circulation of prescription veterinary medicines, including monthly stock returns to the Ministry, and Decision No. 301 of 2026 makes limited amendments to the unified dress code rules for health facilities.

WEFAQ's view: Pharmaceutical importers, agents and manufacturers now face three compliance fronts at once: pricing against the new list, marketing conduct under Decision No. 296, and controlled-substance licensing and registers under Decisions No. 289 to 291. A gap analysis of pricing files, representative conduct policies and controlled-substance records before inspectors call is the sensible first step.

Source: Kuwait Al-Youm Issue 1806, pages 5 to 56, dated 30 August 2026.

This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your circumstances, please contact WEFAQ Law Firm.