The opposition and the government appear increasingly at odds over whether medicinal prices are on the increase or decrease with both parties presenting very contrasting views.
While on Sunday Malta Labour Party acting leader Charles Mangion brandished a list, which The Malta Independent is publishing today, of no less than 39 medicinal products that have seen price increases of up to 84 per cent between November and December, the government itself has cited 47 medicinal products registering price drops, plus an “extensive” list of unchanged prices.
Neither side, however, has acknowledged the price increases or decreases that run contrary to their arguments and which have been presented by their opponents, lending one to suspect a case of cherry picking when it comes to the tabulation of the true state of affairs in their appraisals of the medicines market.
Addressing such cherry picking, the government commented this week in a press release, “The opposition’s efforts to try to depict rampant price increases in medicines is only serving to alarm the public unnecessarily for cheap political gain.”
But, in the same vein, since the government has only published lists of medicines with price decreases, it could be said that it is lulling the public into a false sense of security by not naming the medicinal products that have actually increased in price.
In a press release issued this week, the Competitiveness and Communications Ministry cited 38 instances in which prices have increased, only to correct it a day later by saying that the prices had actually decreased. This happened following discussions between the ministry’s Consumer and Competition Division and importers, during which importers were asked to lower their prices unless they were able to justify their current levels.
The discussions form part of an exercise identifying medicines that are selling in Malta at prices higher than European Union levels and is based on a basket of countries agreed upon by the Medicines Authority.
A number of importers are taking the matter up with their foreign suppliers, arguing price hikes are down to the prices Malta’s importers are being quoted from abroad. If prices are then still found to be unjustified, the ministry has threatened to impose price cuts on the importers.
On Sunday Dr Mangion listed out 39 items which have seen prices increases, substantially in some cases, over recent weeks. These include staple medicines such as Panadol, the price of which has risen by 28 per cent for a 24-tablet box, as well as cold medicines such as Altacura, Rhinathiol, Numark Adult Dry Cough, Histalix, Day Nurse and Night Nurse.
Another case in point cited by Dr Mangion was Ventolin, an asthma medication, which was selling e2 (Lm0.86) more expensive in Malta than in Italy.
Such price increases, he said, were unjustified and flew in the face of the price freeze agreements the government had reached with importers in light of Malta’s euro changeover – an agreement expected to last until March.
The government, on the other hand, insists its price checking and justification verifying exercise is producing results.
An MLP government, Dr Mangion said, would be committed to strengthening the price monitoring mechanism and would publish a report on medicine price fluctuations every six months. Abusers, Dr Mangion added, would be accordingly named and shamed.