I was very pleased to read about the reduction in price for a large number of medicines announced by the government (TMI 06/08).

However, I noticed, to my great dismay that pregabalin (trade name Lyrica) is not amongst the drugs mentioned.

This drug is now a mainstay in the treatment of neuropathic pain: a very severe form of pain that is extremely difficult to treat. The price of pregabalin in Malta, when compared to other countries, can only be described as a rip-off.

Patients with trigeminal neuralgia or epilepsy can obtain the drug free of charge but everyone else has to pay for it.

How an ordinary member of society on a fixed income, or a pensioner, can be expected to pay the ludicrous price demanded by the local agents is beyond me. Unfortunately, generics cannot as yet be prescribed for neuropathic pain (unlike epilepsy) as the patent for that indication has not yet expired. 

I urge the Malta Medicines Authority to look into this matter as a matter of urgency. The bottom line is that a number of patients are still in pain because they cannot afford the required medicine. They suffer in silence – not a happy state of affairs.

Dr Charles A. Gauci

Sannat