A pharmaceutical company has said it has donated nearly 60,000 packs of essential medicines to hospitals and healthcare centres in Ukraine after discussions between its founder and the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK on how to help people caught up in the crisis.

Nik Kotecha, the chairman of Morningside Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor and supplier of generic and branded medicines, met with Vadym Prystaiko in London where the pair talked about the ongoing war and what medicines are urgently needed in Ukraine as the number of casualties mount.

The company also said its delivery of medicines will provide 1.29 million doses to communities in the country. Morningside told Independent Community Pharmacist the drugs donated include 45,000 packs that are used alongside chemotherapy treatments.

“The heart-breaking situation in Ukraine has touched us all, and as like so many people in the United Kingdom, we’ve been keen to do everything we can to help the victims of this terrible conflict,” said Mr Kotecha.

“After speaking to the ambassador, the Ukrainian Embassy identified a range of Morningside-manufactured medicines, which their healthcare system is in urgent need of. The Embassy and our teams at Morningside then worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK to ensure the medicines could be shipped rapidly as humanitarian aid.

“I would like to thank our international supply chain and warehousing teams for turning this around in a matter of days to ensure those in urgent need of their medicines received them as quickly as possible.”

Morningside said the medicines were transported via “a secure and temperature-controlled” shipment to the Ukrainian embassy’s distribution hub in Poland where they will be sent into Ukraine. The company also said it had sent hundreds of nappies, feminine hygiene packs, sleeping bags and children’s essentials that were donated by people in Loughborough to Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

“We all hope for a swift resolution to the war in Ukraine which brings an end to the suffering and atrocities taking place there,” Mr Kotecha said.

“There has been a huge outpouring of support for people caught up in this terrible conflict and it’s been humbling to see the enormous generosity of people in the UK for those suffering extreme and often life threatening hardships, due to no fault of their own.”