The price of a cervical cancer vaccine has been cut by €40.61 to €108.84 as part of government intervention to reduce the cost of medicines.
Cervarix is one of two vaccines available for cervical cancer. It is one of 17 drugs to have been reduced in price in the latest exercise undertaken by the Parliamentary Secretary for Consumer Affairs. This raises the total number of medicines reduced since July last year to 146.
The latest cut in medicine prices ranges from two to 27 per cent of the previous price. The cost has been calculated according to the average European price for the medicines. This is based on a range of 12 countries placed in three categories, depending on whether the price of medicines in those countries is considered high, average or low. The average European price is then compared to the current local price, and importers are asked to drop it to that level in Malta.
The new prices will apply to medicines that were bought by pharmacies at the new cost.
For more information, call 2144 6446, Monday to Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or send an e-mail to medicines@gov.mt.
| Medicine | Packet | Old price (€) | New price(€) | Price reduction (€) |
| Cervarix | 1 x 0.5ml dose for injection - 1 prefilled syringe with 0.5ml suspension and 1 needle | 149.45 | 108.84 | 40.61 |
| Evista | 60mg film-coated tablets x 28 | 39.90 | 35.90 | 4 |
| Ezetrol™ | 10mg tablets x 28 | 52.06 | 49.98 | 2.08 |
| Flixotide Diskus | 100 μg/m.d. inhaler x 60 m.d. | 17.60 | 15.98 | 1.62 |
| Flixotide Evohaler | 125 μg/m.d. inhaler x 60 m.d. | 17.98 | 15.98 | 2 |
| Lescol® | 40mg capsules x 28 | 33.23 | 27.74 | 5.49 |
| Mobic® | 15mg tablets x 30 | 23.76 | 22.00 | 1.76 |
| Mobic® | 7.5mg tablets x 30 | 15.54 | 14.38 | 1.16 |
| Seretide Diskus | 100 µg/m.d. inhaler x 60 m.d. | 41.00 | 34.80 | 6.20 |
| Seretide Diskus | 250 µg/m.d. inhaler x 60 m.d. | 56.14 | 49.50 | 6.64 |
| Seretide Diskus | 500 µg/m.d. inhaler x 60 m.d. | 75.82 | 64.79 | 11.03 |
| Seretide Evohaler | 25/50 µg/m.d. inhaler | 40.80 | 34.80 | 6 |
| Tamiflu | 30mg capsules x 10 | 17.90 | 15.12 | 2.78 |
| Tamiflu | 45mg capsules x 10 | 34.35 | 30.24 | 4.11 |
| Tamiflu | 75mg capsules x 10 | 34.25 | 30.24 | 4.01 |
| Xarelto | 10mg film-coated tablets x 10 | 64.48 | 62.91 | 1.57 |
| Xatral® XL | 10mg prolonged-release tablets x 30 | 29.19 | 25.68 | 3.51 |