Importers have agreed to lower the prices of five medicines with immediate effect, the Department of Information said yesterday. The medicines are:
Maxidex Eye Drops, Suspension X 5ml Lm2.58 (€ 6.01) Lm2.08(€ 4.85)
Tobrex Eye Drops, Solution x 5ml Lm2.95(€ 6.87) Lm2.45(€ 5.71)
Minitran 10 Transdermal patch 10mg X 30 Lm11.28(€ 26.28) Lm10.44(€ 24.32)
Cipralex film coated tablets (lactab) 10mg X 28 Lm11.75(€ 27.37) Lm10.36(€ 24.13)
Telfast Film coated tablets 120 mg X 15 Lm3.75(€ 8.74) Lm3.54(€ 8.25)
The Competitiveness and Communications Ministry, through the Consumer and Competition Division will also be monitoring other medicines whose prices should also be lowered in the coming weeks. The price cuts are the result of an agreement reached by the members of the Medicines Committee. According to the agreement prices of medicines in the local market are not to be above the average price established after comparing the prices prevailing in a basket of countries made up of three categories: high, medium and low category.
The Medicines Committee was established by the government specifically to come up with a system that would ensure “fair and just prices” in the market which could be verified. The committee was chaired by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Competitiveness and Communications and had as its members representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Elderly and Community Care, the Medicines Authority, the Consumer and Competition Division, the Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Industry, the GRTU, Pharmaceutical Research-Based Industry Malta Association and the Consumers’ Association.
The Consumer and Competition Division has recently finalised an exercise on the first 507 medicines selected in line with the criteria agreed upon with the Committee members. As a result of the exercise a number of importers found selling medicines in the local market above the average price were asked to lower prices unless there was a valid justification for the present retail prices.
The medicines which are being monitored and whose prices should also be lowered “in the coming weeks” are:
Adalat Capsules 10mg X 90
Adalat LA 30 Coated tablets 30mg X 28
Adalat Retard Coated tablets 20 mgX 56
Amoxil Capsules 500mg Capsules 500mg X 21
Arcoxia Film -coated tablets 60 mg X 28
Arcoxia Film -coated tablets120 mg X 7
Atacand tablets 16mg X 28
Atacand Tablets 8mg X 28
Beconase Aqueous Nasal Spray Nasal spray X 200ds
Betnovate Ointment Ointment X 30g
Clarityn Allergy Tablets Tablets 10mg X 21
Dermovate Ointment Ointment X 30g
Diprosalic ointment Ointment
Diprosalic scalp application Lotion x 100 ml
Duphaston Film coated tablet 10mg X 20
Durogesic Transdermal Patch 2.5mg X 5
Durogesic Transdermal Patch 7.5 mg x 5
Engerix B Suspension for injection X 1ml
Evorel 50 Transdermal patches 3.2mg 50 µg/24hrs x 8
Focavance Tablets 70mg X 4
Hytrin BPH Tablets 5mg X 28
Innovace Tablets 20 mg X 28
Istin Tablets 10mg X 28
Lipitor Tablet 20mg X 28
Locoid cream 0.1 % Cream30 gr
Locoid Crelo 0.1 % Cutaneous emulsion x 30g
Locoid Lipocream 0.1 % Cream X 30gr
Locoid Scalp Lotion 0.1 % Scalp Lotion X 30ml
Macrodantin Capsules Capsule100mg X 30
Micanol 3% Cream X 50g
Mirena Intrauterine System
Motilium Tablets 10mg x 30
Motilium Syrup X 200ml
Motilium Children Suppositories Suppository 30mg X 6
Naprosyn Tablets 250mg X 56
Naprosyn Tablets 500mg X 56
Naprosyn Tablets 500mg X 56
Omnic Modified release capsules 0.4mg x 30
Orap Forte Tablets 4mg x 20
Oxis Turbuhaler Powder for Inhalation 60 X 4.5μ
Oxis Turbuhaler Powder for Inhalation 60 X 9 μg
Physiotens Film coated tablet 0.2mg x 28
Physiotens Film coated tablet 0.4mg X 28
Plavix Tablets 75mg x 28
Plendil Modified-Release Tablet 5mg x 30
Teveten Film coated tablet 400mg X 28
Trusopt eye drops Eye drops X 5ml
Ventolin Syrup Oral Solution X 150ml
Voltaren Emulgel Gel X 50g
Zestril 10mg Film-Coated Tablets 10mg X 28
Zestril 20mg Film-Coated Tablets 20mg X 28
Zineryt lotion Lotion as powder + solvent x 30ml
Zocor Tablets Tablets 10mg X 28
Zovirax Tablets 200 x 25
Zovirax Tablets 800mg x 35
Zovirax Ophthalmic Ointment 3%w/w Ophthalmic ointment X 4.5g
Zyloric Tablets 100mg Tablets 100mg x 100
The DOI said that should the price of these medicines not be decreased, the government would “take all those measures deemed necessary to enforce these reductions”.
In the meantime the Consumer and Competition Division is continuing with its exercise in respect of a further 600 medicines to establish whether they are selling at a price higher than the average price.
This exercise will continue until it is established that all medicines in the local market, barring a valid justification, are not selling above the average price in order to ensure that “consumers will get the fairest deal possible”.