The Consumer and Competition Division (CCD) within the Ministry for Competitiveness and Communications has said that it has continued with its exercise to identify those medicines which are selling in the local market at a price, higher than the European level, based on a basket of countries agreed upon by the Medicines Committee.

As agreed by this Committee, where the prices of medicines in Malta are found to be higher than the average price, meetings are held with the importers during which, the findings of the Division's work are explained to them. They are asked to lower prices unless they can justify the present price level. Most of the importers informed the Division that they would be taking up the matter with their suppliers since in most cases, local selling prices depended on the price at which they were buying them from foreign sources.

The prices of 38 medicines have so far increased as a result of discussions held the Ministry said, and it would now like to inform the general public that the following medicines have had their price decreased as follows:

The CCD said it will continue with this exercise until it reviews all medicines selling in the local market. In those cases where importers and/or suppliers do not agree to lower prices, if their price is above the European average and no justification is forthcoming, the Ministry is to enforce these price reductions as empowered by law.

The CCD added that along with the 47 medicines which are confirmed to have gone down in price, there is an extensive list of medicines whose prices have remained unchanged, which they said goes to prove that the situation regarding the prices of medicine, is being adequately handled by the government.

The Ministry said that the Opposition's efforts to try to depict rampant price increases in medicines is only serving to alarm the public unnecessarily for cheap political gain.