"Malta's high drug prices govt's fault," say firms

Malta's Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) has accused the government of bungling accession negotiations with the European Union and causing the countries supply problems for drugs. The angry denunciation follows a government threat to impose price controls on drug prices.

In a statement the GRTU's pharmacists' section claimed that the government negotiators were "heavily influenced by those who were only interested in maintaining the status quo where lack of competition is the norm." Describing the EU negotiations as a "mess," the GRTU claims that the government was keener on attracting generic drug manufacturers to Malta by maintaining regulatory loopholes (Marketletter April 3), than in dealing with problems relating to the supply of medicines for local consumption. The business group said: "price increases on medicines are the result of misguided government policy."