Compare and contrast prices of medicine products (2)

S. Vella

Dec 1st 2009, 05:01

@M. Debono

The days of innovative medicines being superior to generic medicines are over and have been so for over 15 years now. It's only a myth propagated by big pharma to keep their profits up. Two situations back up my claim:-

a. Manufacture of generic and innovative medicines are under the same conditions and standards under Volume 4 of Guidelines of Good Manufacturing Practices. Both set of companies are rigorously audited and inspected by the EU health regulatory agencies.

b. Some of the largest generic manufacturer's (example Sandoz) are actually owned by big pharma using the same procedures and manufacturing capabilities.

You can sell your statement to an uninformed person, M. Debono, but you can't fool people in the industry. In essence, there is NOT one generic on any EU market that is inferior to innovative medicines and I dare you prove otherwise.

j micallef

Nov 30th 2009, 20:42

When is government going to heed the people's emotional complaints on this issue? How many more letters in newspapers does it take for the government to shake off its lethargy and act? How many more shocking comments do we have to read on this website for the government to come up with a solution in favour of the consumer? Where is the Opposition on this matter - why is it staying so mute and vague on this question? Is the Opposition ready to fully back the government if price controls on medicines are imposed? The suffering population is crying out loud for a remedy, and our parliamentary representatives - ALL of them - are expected to join forces with ideas and action, so that this scourge of high-priced life-saving medicines is eliminated from our fair land.

fabian muliet

Nov 30th 2009, 18:44

whilst on holiday in Italy, i needed to buy some pills i have to take every day, being in a rather up market place i thought that they'd be much more expensive then here (€17.68 at the time now €18.12) but to my amazement they only cost me €4.70 there!!!! When i told the chemist how much i have to pay for them here, all she said was 'Why!!!' What worries me even more is that these pills are given for free by the government and i'd really love to know what it pays for them??? Maybe a quick trip to Italy would save the tax payer a few thousand euro. And by the way they still cost €4.70 there even though they've gone up in price here!!

M. Debono

Nov 30th 2009, 16:14

@ S. Vella

I do not agree with you for 2 different reasons

1. You are assuming that branded medicine and generics are exactly the same - be rest assured that though there are many excellent quality generics not all are up to standard.

2. Be informed that it is the big companies who produce branded medicine, are responsible for the huge advances medicine made, whilst generic companies do the easy work and copy what others have researched painstakingly for years.
If branded medicine is not prescribed, these companies will stop researching for new medicines, and we will be left in the status quo.

tony abela

Nov 30th 2009, 14:15

Well done Dr Zammit, it's nice to know that we still have dedicated GPs in Malta. Until this letter I always branded most of the local GPs as having some sort of commission from the medicines importers for subscribing a particular brand of medicine which normally is much more expensive than the generic ones.

But Dr Zammit letter makes realise that we still have GPs that are giving their service as a vocation rather than for money.

Thanks to you Dr Zammit and to all the GPs who have similar moral spine like you. The general public appreciate your whole-hearted service.

J. Micallef

Nov 30th 2009, 13:40

Keeping in mind that our wages are between one third and one half of most European countries the actual cost of medicines comes to much more than mentioned in the article.

Rosalie Freestone-Bayes

Nov 30th 2009, 13:37

Excessive profits are immoral. To think that profits on life saving medicines should be so high is ,in my view,doubly immoral and daylight robbery.And robbery, in whatever form,is a crime.Where does the dept. of fair trading stand on this? About time life saving medicines should be free anyway.

C. Farrugia

Nov 30th 2009, 13:35

Reducing prices of medicines uniquely through direct price controls is a quick-fix short-term measure and is not how countries such as UK, Netherlands and Sweden avoid a negative impact of medicines prices on the man in the street.

It is done through a combination of reference pricing and reimbursement strategies, inculcating a positive patient and health care professional opinion of generics, and providing the necessary incentives to make sure that generics obtain the necessary market share by volume to support low prices. In this manner, the patient has the freedom of choice between not paying for good quality low-cost generic (low cost does not mean low quality), or paying for higher cost originator products, guided appropriately by health care professionals.

In Malta, at present all we have is a reference pricing system, and the provision in the law for INN prescribing (i.e. prescribing by active ingredient). Various NGO's and professional associations have urged Government to implement a reimbursement system and to legislate generic-friendly measures similar to those in other European countries. However, these suggestions have to date, apparently not been taken on board, hence the inability of the local pricing scenarios to emulate the benefits seen in certain European countries.

S. Vella

Nov 30th 2009, 11:42

This might not make much sense to most people but it will to the few which are associated with pharmaceuticals.

Make prescribing by generic name compulsory and the prices will have the first major push downward. When that is implemented, make it compulsory for the pharmacist to dispense the cheapest product (quality in this day and age is assured whether it is a branded or generic product). Voila, cheaper medicines through competition!

This won't happen because the large importers will be obviously against it. Even worse, a strong section of medical doctors will probably be against it as well.

Dafydd Charles Thomas

Nov 30th 2009, 11:36

Of course this is quite a scandalous situation. I would suggest buying this medication over the internet from Asset Chemist who currently offer this preparation at a discount of 62%. Six packs of four would cost only £11.40 - another substantial saving.

E.Muscat

Nov 30th 2009, 10:58

Dr.Zammit,well done! As far as I am concerned this is the smoking gun of the excessive pricing of medicines in general in our country.May other doctors have the courage to speak up as Dr.Zammit has.It is also a case for allowing the sale of some medicines from stores outside the pharmacies which have a cartel mentality in cohoots with the importers.
It is a very similar case to vegetables in sicily going up to milan and then sent by supermarkets to sicily to be sold at four times the original cost(this is a true fact)!The mind boggles but the vegetable situation in Malta has some similarities:the middle man is robbing us blind and the farmer's labour and risk is very poorly rewarded.Just allow farmers to sell directly in village markets and the situation will right itself!