Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542981
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 FEBRUARY 2026 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 A 250g tub of Sudocrem cream shot up by 72%, from €7.34 to €12.65, while Busco- pan tablets now retail at €19.90, double what they used to cost. Meanwhile, asthma sufferers would have noticed that the Ventolin inhaler now sets them back €7.49, an increase of €4.34 or 137%. The medicines list was in- dependently compiled by a pharmacist over the span of 18 months. The pharmacist, who was granted anonymity to be able to speak freely, shared the data with MaltaToday. The same list was tabled in parlia- ment by Op- p o s i t i o n MP Ste- phen Spi- teri last week. The list i n c l u d e s around 100 m e d i c i n e s r a n g i n g from over- t h e - c o u n - ter treat- ments to p r e s c r i p - tion 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. The exercise shows that com- mon pain relievers, also exhib- ited significant price increas- es—a box of 20 Parcoten tablets now retails at €8.95, an 18% increase; a box of 48 Panadols retails at €5.32, a 33% hike; and a box of 60 Brufen tablets sells at €11.96, a 34% increase. Fertility medication was not spared from the savage increas- es. A box of 30 Clomid 50mg tablets retails at €39, a 19% increase, while a box of seven 25mg Pleyris vials now sells at €78.90, up from €57.90 some months ago—a 36% increase. Overall, the price increas- es in this list range from a few cents to tens of euros—from a mere 2% i n c r e a s e to over 2 0 0 % , within a span of 18 m o n t h s . Not all in- creases can be justified on the basis of yearly in- flation. 2023 price reductions reversed Of interest are two particu- lar medicines—Septrin Forte, an antibiotic, and Anthisan, a cream to reduce itching— which formed part of a list of 66 medicines that had their prices reduced in 2023 fol- lowing discussions between the Medicines Authority, the Health Ministry and medicine importers. Back in 2023, a packet of 100 tablets of Septrin Forte 960mg had its price reduced to €45.50 from €56.78—a 20% reduction. Today, the same dosage of Sep- trin Forte but sold in packets of 50 tablets, retails at €29.28, which is 29% more expensive than the lower price ne- gotiated in 2023. Similarly, a 25g tube of Anthisan cream had its price re- duced from €6.95 to €5.95 in 2023—a 14% saving. None- theless, the same m e d i c a t i o n is today retailing at €6.95 once again. According to National Statistics Office data obtained from the Retail Price Index (RPI) of December 2025, medical services and medicines exhibited an annual inflation rate of 2.9%, a relatively moder- ate increase. Medicines-specif- ic data is not publicly available. Nonetheless, operators in the field insist overall inflation may not be indicative of what pa- tients experience on the ground since they hardly shop around for cheaper alternatives. Pa- tients may also be taking specif- ic medication for which no al- ternatives exist, which renders them price-takers irrespective of the cost. "If a patient is prescribed a particular branded antibiot- ic for an ailment, they expect the pharmacy to give them that medicine irrespective of the cost. This is not like buying ham from the de- li counter at a supermar- ket; a patient trusts what the doctor or the pharmacist says," a family doctor, who spoke to MaltaTo- day on condition of anonymity, said. They added that some doctors do take note of price sensitivity when prescribing medicine but others prescribe brands sug- gested to them by importers. It is a known practice that im- porters offer doctors incentives to promote their products. In other instances, pharma- cies may have a financial in- centive from importers to push certain over-the-counter med- icines that are more expensive than others. This means that although cheaper alternatives may exist, unless these are prescribed or suggested to patients, they of- ten end up paying the higher prices. Small market, high cost But a pharmaceutical import- er, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Maltese market was at the mercy of in- ternational forces, especially af- ter the UK exited the EU. "Malta is a small market and after Brexit happened, import- ing medicines from other EU countries became more ex- pensive since manufacturers would have to produce smaller batches with product literature translated in English, specifi- List tabled in parliament shows sharp (Left to right) PN health spokesperson Stephen Spiteri and Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela