Labour pours cold water over medicine price cuts

The Labour party has poured cold water over news that the government had secured considerable cuts in medicine prices in meetings it held with medicine importers. In a statement by Labour MPs Michael Farrugia and Anthony Zammit, the PL said the agreement with importers misled people into believing Lawrence Gonzi was actively reducing the cost of living.

“Eight products in the in the list of the medicine cuts announced were in a similar list back on 28 September 2008 when the government said the competitiveness ministry would be monitoring drug prices. Nothing happened back then and consumers had to face constant increases in these prices,” the MPs said.

They added that the 62 medicines mentioned were a pittance next to the hundreds of products on the market: “some of them have limited use, and others are being supplanted by newer products, and others which fall under the free medicines list.”

Talks with importers of medicines took place recently, which have now led to the decrease in price of 62 products: 54 will decrease by 6 to 40%, while some medicine will decrease by a massive 67%.

The ministry said some importers had already decreased their medicines, and prices were already set in some pharmacies.