Prices of 62 medicines reduced after government talks with importers

JOHN O SCERRI

Jul 6th 2010, 07:43

All mentioned medicines are brand names and most of them or their equivalent are given out free to patients who have chronic illnesses.

The Govt will benefit most and this is good for all of us since the medicines are paid from our taxes.

On another note I would suggest Govt and patients to insist on introducing a procedure whereby generic drugs instead of brand products are purchased where possible .

These are surely very much cheaper . All these medicines are manufactured under strict GMP (good manufacturing practice) requirements as well as very strict quality standards.

All our local pharmaceutical manufacturing industries produce generic drugs and still there is resistance by govt. to buy these pharmaceuticals .

Buying generics automatically reduces the price of medicines without any need for lengthy discussions.

One can see the difference when buying for example 'PARACETAMOL' and 'Panadol'
Active ingredient is 'Paracetamol' for both of them

Paracetamol is one of the cheapest drugs on the market .

Just imagine if prescription drugs like Atorvastatin, Fluvastatin, antihypertension drugs, Paroxetine, where on the shelves together with their counterpart brand names...and .....Let the patient choose.

gaffarena joseph

Jul 4th 2010, 07:23

So,what other ministers found it hard to tackle with this problem,this young and promising young
man Chris Said,made it happen.I, can still remember the the conference that we had with former minister of health Dalli,in his own words he said it is impossible to work on prices with these people, because they change the price every minute.
First of all this reduction in prices show that they were charging us more than 100% profit,and to my knoledge the profit should be not more than 20%.
Now,it is in the interest of the public to see that these importers will stick to these new prices.
There is still to be done, but at least Dr,Said had the courage to make this first move towards the consumer.
Well done Dr, Said,keep on doing your work in this professional way.Hope that others will follow .

c camilleri

Jul 3rd 2010, 09:01

Even after the price reductions, most medicines mentioned here are available from abroad at least 15% - 20% cheaper! So what is the government and the importers of medicine doing? taking us for a ride? Gentlemen, use the internet and purchase it online. If most of us do that, the importers will feel the pinch and would reduce the medicine prices to decent levels.
It is about time that our salaries are also increased to EU levels to reflect the local cost of living.

Carmel Cilia

Jul 3rd 2010, 07:25

@ Mr. Camilleri 'Prosit u grazzi" how childish. I would tell Mr. Said what about all the money that I paid extra. You were there to protect me from being robbed. That would have been more like it.
No Mr. Said everybody has been saying that medicenes in malta were being sold at exagerated prices. From me you take no thanks. You did it because you were pushed to do it by the interventions of an P.L. european member of parliament and not because you love the maltese people. Shame on you and on the importers involved. If there was justice in this land the people involved should have been taken to court and the money overpaid in the last say ten years would have to be paid back and directed into our Health budget.
Less then that is complicity for which no thanks is due.

Derek Mifsud

Jul 2nd 2010, 21:06

It is a possitive sign and I am sure that there are many more that should be reduced. I noticed that FOSOMAX has been reduced by €14.48. .What about FOSAVANCE 70mg x 4 tablets which is manufactured also by the same manufacturer of Fosomax and I believe is also imported by the same agent. This product is sold in Malta for € 43 for 4 tablets, while from Italy I bought them for € 24.50 . I hope that this exercise will continue for the benefit of the consumers.

t. borg

Jul 2nd 2010, 20:22

il-gvern falla milli jipperswadi li huwa tarka tal-poplu u halla biss erba importaturi jaghmlu li jridu. iccaqlaq issa kontra qalbu biss ghax jaf li se jiehu tumakka mill-eu. nistaqsi jekk rahsu mhux ghax kien hemm serq? nistenna twegiba. il-pn qed jitkisser minn erbgha tal-qalba. mhux ahjar jitwaqqaf kumitat bejn iz-zewg nahat tal-kamra b'chaiman mill-pl jinvestiga!

John Carmel Navarro

Jul 2nd 2010, 18:49

A step in the right direction so hopefully we can see a general reduction soon, I do not wish to be a damp squid. Zocor 10mg coated tablets now shown at Euro’s 15.72, I purchase on internet for around £7 sterling which is less than half price. It is of utmost importance that the Government ensures that eventually uniformity is reached with other European Countries as to medicines pricing. The majority of people in Malta who for some obscure reason do not qualify for free medicines just cannot afford the current prices and are being taken for a very expensive ride!.

m. borg (slm)

Jul 2nd 2010, 16:32

I apologise when I did my calculations I used the old price, in fact the price per tab is €3.66 not €6.33.
Actually there was a real reduction. Well done. Unfortunately we have been robbed blind for a long time, but then better late then never and hope it is not a gimmick like we had before the elections.

What's white is white.

DJ Camilleri

Jul 2nd 2010, 16:17

This seems to be a step in the right direction. At least somebody seems to have started tackling the problem which has been present with us for years and years on end.

This does mean that patients have been fleeced for ages, being charged overinflated prices and I still wonder how many more products out there are still being sold at scandalously higher prices than in other EU countries.

With regards to generics and online purchasing of medicines I would exercise caution, seeing that there are a number of reports of drugs available on the market which contain less than, or even worse, none of the active ingredients they should contain and can also be of inferior quality regarding their formulation.

Joe Savona

Jul 2nd 2010, 16:07

It would be interesting to know who the agents/importers are. Is there a pattern here ? One agent could have a much bigger mark up than others.

Alexander Borg

Jul 2nd 2010, 15:57

Me and my wife are pensioners and make frequent use of some of the medicines listed below...we warmly welcome the reduction in prices of most of the medicines we take ... a good move by the government in favour of us pensioners

Ian C Ellul

Jul 2nd 2010, 15:28

Well Done ... Well Done indeed Chris.

m. borg (slm)

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:57

Checking the price of the costliest medicin in the list, ie zovirax x800gm, the price in Malta of 35 tabs at €21.49 works out at €6.33 per tablet.
From Chemistdirect on internet :
[url]http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/zovirax-disp-tablet-800mg-%5Bshingles-pack%5D_4_17427.html[/url]
the price is £2.59 or €3.13 at today's exchange rate.
Is this the reduction in price that ps Chris Said is boasting about.?

Stop making fools of yourselves, talk is cheap medicines aren't.

lzammit

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:52

Prosit, Sur Manuel Camilleri. Kumment bis-sens u ezemplari.

Joseph E Briffa

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:47

Well done Chris Said...please let's have the price of more medications reduced. The government is again showing that it can act with prudence and responsibility. All the people should be grateful for this move and hope that there will be more of the same. Thank you.

Mary Bonello

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:45

Tajjeb li l-Gvern sab qbil madwar mejda. Hemm ghadd mill-medicini li gieli kellna nehduhom bhala familja... ibda mill-Augmentin. Grazzi hafna.

Joe Grima

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:35

This is nothing short of a scandal. Instead of thanking importers for reducing some prices. these importers should be prosecuted for having fleeced innocent patients, who they have been overcharghing for mediciens, for God knows how many decades. Or are these importers fat cat contributors to the PN expense account?

Carlo Grech

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:29

Wara min jaf kemm batew nies minhabba l-prezz gholi u n-nuqqas, u forsi anke min jaf jekk mietux nies. Kumment wiehed ghandi: pass tajjeb imma AFT. Imissna nisthu li l-medicini hafna u hafna aktar gholjin milli ssibhom f'kull pajjiz tal-Ewropa. Mhux ta b'xejn li zdided daqshekk ix-xiri taghhom on-line.

Paul Fenech

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:24

Nispera li wara ftit ta zmien ma nerghux ghal istess prezzijiet.

S. Falzon

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:23

Excellent news! Well done Dr Said.

Laura Falzon

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:21

My daughter had acute asthma so the doctor recommended some pills called Singulair Paediatric . Since she started them over a year ago she never again had an asthma attack. These pills are not given for free from the government and they cost 46.50 euros (for a packet of 28). Maybe its time that these pills which are so helpful for asthmatic children should be given for free or else for a reduced price because they are really expensive and quite a burden to buy every month !!

Cathleen Tabone

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:12

Thank you, Dr Said. If only every politician delivers the way you do.

joe muscat

Jul 2nd 2010, 14:07

@Manuel Camilleri

Prosit u grazzi ? ta xhiex ? ta kemm ilhom jisirquk ? fic-cert li dawn il-prezzijiet ma rahhsux min barra imma l-impurtaturi naqsu ftit mill-qliegh (jew ahjar serq)

J Buttigieg

Jul 2nd 2010, 13:56

Prosit Dr Said .
Din hi haga li jgawdi minna kulhadd.

M Tabone

Jul 2nd 2010, 13:38

Discussion just narrowed part of the super profits. Government should regulate and not only discuss, probably this is next in line if discussions fail to achieve the desired results. For people who have being dependent on such medicine and others this is not much of good news. They feel helpless at the mercy of few importers who can agree and determine unjust market price due to dominant position in the market. It’s a bright signal that the free market system is failing and hitting is mass market severely. It’s a move in the right direction but Government needs to feature stronger in the price setting mechanism of such products. Imports have the right to make profits but not such easy money from the needy.

P.Cassar

Jul 2nd 2010, 13:29

I CLEARLY REMEMBER, AND MANY OTHERS TOO, WHEN THE PN TOLD US "bil- VAT ser jorhsu 40,000 prodott'
PS WHY WERE SUCH MEDICINES MORE EXPENSIVE?
ARE STEPS BEING TAKEN AGAINST CULPRITS?
ARE VICTIMS, ESP PENSIONERS, GOING TO BE GIVEN MONEY BACK?

Dolores Zammit

Jul 2nd 2010, 13:24

Hbieb, fejn tidhol is-sahha m'hemmx politika - min jghaddi minn mument difficli jaf x'qed nghid - meta tigi bzonn il-medicina imma ghax tkun tiswa hafna tbati biex tixtriha - ghalhekk kull rohs fil-prezz tal-medicini hu milqugh b'ferh - Din ahbar tajba hafna

Manuel Camilleri

Jul 2nd 2010, 13:15

I am a pensioner and take some of the medicines listed below and I gladly welcome the price reductions - prosit u grazzi

Joe Mangion

Jul 2nd 2010, 13:13

Do we owe a thank you to medicine importers or the government. This is a simple and clear admission that consumers like myself have been overcharged without anybody lifting a finger. I have been taking Fosamx tablets for a long time. They have now gone down from 47.08 euros to 32.60 euros. Who will refund me the difference? GRTU, plse speak out as the overcharging that has been going on for all these years amount to nothing more that theft.

A.Grech

Jul 2nd 2010, 13:07

How about the Government buying some ZOKOR from reduced prices for its Gozo General Hospital. It has been Out of stock for app. 2 months.

eric psaila

Jul 2nd 2010, 12:54

I dare ask a silly question.
Are the importers going to subsidise the health care system or were their profits so high?
If it is the latter it sheer scandalous to make so much profits over sick people.