Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542981
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 FEBRUARY 2026 NEWS cally for the Maltese market," the importer told MaltaToday, adding that this has escalated costs. Importing from Ireland is an option but medicines tend to be much higher than the UK, where the purchasing power of the national health service helps keep prices more stable. Malta has a Brexit exemption to import medicines from the UK, however this will expire at the end of 2026, the importer warned. "We have been applying pres- sure on the government to ne- gotiate an extension of this ex- emption to avoid unnecessary price hikes," the importer said. Higher registration fees But there is another ticking time bomb that could push medicine prices even high- er over the coming weeks and months. In October last year, the Medicines Authority intro- duced higher registration fees for medicines and pharmaceu- tical operators. None of the higher prices on the list received by MaltaTo- day were the result of the new registration fees, according to industry sources, but unless the increases are reversed importers would have no option but to trans- mit the cost to the consumer. "The larg- est impact of the new fees would be on m e d i c i n e s used by a few patients, which tend to be among the most expensive. It could result in significantly higher prices for these med- icines or a complete stop to their importation," the import- er said. The new licence and registration fees, they added, were unlikely to have a signif- icant impact on fast-moving medicines. However, they said talks were underway with the authorities over a less punitive fee struc- ture for licensing in view of Malta's unique reality. "So far, importers have held back from passing on the cost of the higher fees to consumers and we are in discussions with the authorities to find the best way forward; I am confident we can achieve progress," the im- porter said, acknowledging that registration fees have remained untouched for many years. High spenders Meanwhile, speaking in par- liament last week, PN MP Ste- phen Spiteri said the list of price hikes was indicative of an unstable medicines market that was having a negative impact on consumers, especially pen- sioners. Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela insisted in his reply that most of the medicines on the list were offered for free through the Pharmacy of Your Choice scheme. He also added that government and the Med- icines Authority were in talks with importers to reduce the prices of 33 medicines over the coming weeks. He also claimed that none of the 66 medicines that had their price reduced in 2023 had experienced price in- creases. Nonetheless, according to a recent study, Malta stands out within the European Union for its unusually high spending by individuals on retail pharma- ceuticals. Retail medicines accounted for 18% of Malta's total health expenditure in 2023, well above the EU av- erage of 13%. On a per capita basis, spending reached €648, the second highest in the bloc after Ger- many. Around 90% of this ex- penditure was on prescribed m e d i c i n e s , with the remain- der spent on over-the- counter products. The figures emerge from the State Of Health In The EU: Malta – Country Health Profile 2025, issued in December by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Ob- servatory on Health Systems and Policies. This means that despite the availability of free medicines on the POYC scheme, Maltese families are still the second highest spenders on medicines in the EU, a pattern that places a significant financial burden on households. The medicines list was independently compiled by a pharmacist over the span of 18 months (File photo) sharp rises across essential drugs "The price increases are wide-ranging and the result of multiple factors but the fact is that patients are paying much higher prices," the pharmacist told MaltaToday