Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela has asked the Standards Commissioner to investigate remarks made by Opposition Leader Alex Borg regarding generic medicines.
Borg allegedly claimed during a political activity in Gozo that generic medicines are of inferior quality to branded ones.
The request follows a call from the Labour Party for Borg to “withdraw” his statement, which it argued could sow “unnecessary doubts” among patients.
In his letter to the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life, Abela said Borg and his MPs were “spreading serious misinformation with potential far-flung and deleterious consequences to the health of patients and the public in general.”
“This goes beyond ethics. Politicians have a responsibility to protect citizens from this kind of disinformation, not abet it themselves,” Abela said.
The Labour Party meanwhile also strongly condemned Borg’s statements.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Labour Party said that such claims are “misleading and irresponsible,” as they go against the scientific facts and the official positions of Malta’s health authorities. It noted that both the Malta Medicines Authority and the Superintendence of Public Health had issued a joint clarification confirming that generic medicines are equivalent in quality and effectiveness to branded products.
According to their joint statement, generic medicines contain the same active ingredients as already authorised medicines and are manufactured to the same quality standards. This confirmation, the Labour Party said, aligns with what Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela stated in Parliament earlier this week.
Minister Abela criticised Borg’s comments, arguing that the Opposition Leader attempted to spread a “misleading narrative” that could undermine public confidence in the healthcare system and potentially harm patients who depend on these medicines.
The Labour Party added that generic medicines are widely used and trusted in leading countries, including the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, under strict regulatory supervision. The party insisted that Borg’s remarks contradict the guidance of reputable medical authorities and scientists, both locally and internationally.
“The Nationalist Party Leader should withdraw his statement, which risks creating unnecessary doubts about the safety and effectiveness of generic medicines, to the detriment of Maltese and Gozitan patients,” the Labour Party said.