I think the time has now come to lay it all out. More than two months ago, I sent an email to Malta’s very own EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, regarding the prices of medicines in Malta.

A month later, on enquiring with the Commission whether my email had been received, I was told that it had, and, as it was in Maltese, it needed time for translation, which was being seen to.

More than another month went by and as I had received no word yet, I then tried another tack. I sent another email in English to Joaquin Almunia, the EU Commissioner for Competition, on much the same lines as the one sent to Mr Dalli.

That was in mid-June, and despite various enquiries as to whether my message was received, I’d probably be better off tossing up a coin.

This is the message sent to Mr Almunia, very similar to the one sent a month before to Mr. Dalli:

14th June, 2010

Prices of Medicines in Malta

Dear Commissioner,

As you may be aware by now, prices of medicines in Malta are unreasonably high when compared with those prevalent in most other EU Member States.

A spokesman for the Union of Pharmacists has defended these prices in Malta owing to the “miniscule” size of the local market. The tenor of his argument was, and still is, that the larger the market, the cheaper the prices.

However, this spokesman also disclosed (to the general public) that there are over 30 Malta-based importers of such medicines.

Such a statement seems to fly in the face of the contention that the market is small. The absurd conclusion is that the demand is greater than the market itself.

Original and generic medicines

Could it be that in Malta generic medicines are passed off as originals, at the price of originals? Is it possible to oblige the manufacturing companies of generic medicines to clearly indicate to the consumer that the product is not an original?

I have been informed by the Malta Medicines Authority that no such regulation exists. This, I find, tends to weaken consumer protection. Doesn’t such lack of regulation leave the consumer in the lurch? Isn’t it a fundamental of consumer protection that the buyer be informed (by the seller) of what is being paid for? This issue in Malta is now taking on a dimension of its own.

Time was when I thought “caveat emptor” was consigned to the dustbin of history.

Now I’m not so sure. I appeal to you, therefore, to set in motion the procedure making it legally binding for the manufacturer to indicate, in layman’s language, whether the medicine is a generic or an original and that failing to do so the offending company would incur a heavy, and automatic, fine.

Best Regards.

Joe Genovese

PS: More than seven weeks ago I sent a similar email to the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy.

It seems that there are more pressing matters at hand at the Commission.

It could also be that I resorted to the inappropriate Commissioner.

Joe Genovese

Birkirkara