Has anyone tried buying an analgesic from a supermarket? Where is the competition?

The Australian government, for example, is ensuring open competition for the benefit of consumers. An article in The Australian (February 23) read: "Nicotine patches, chewing gum and lozenges for people trying to quit smoking must be available in supermarkets despite attempts by pharmacists to limit competition, the Federal Government has warned."

Here in Malta we cannot even buy aspirin from the supermarket. Tablets against indigestion are easily available for pennies in supermarkets in the UK. Here they are sold for over Lm1 at the pharmacy.

Worse still, there is no competition where prices are concerned. Every chemist sells the same products at the same price and even supermarkets do the same.

When is the competition really going to start, or have we joined competitive Europe for nothing?

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