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| Authors | M Zarb Adami A Serracino Inglott L M Azzopardi |
| Abstract | The issue of the fairness and transparency in the price of medicines is a valid concern of society. Models to calculate price of medicines help to increase the transparency in price establishment. The aim was to compare prices of medicines in two countries. Prices for analgesic and anti-infective proprietary products available both in Malta and in the United Kingdom were compiled. For each product, the equivalent unit price in cents (Maltese currency) for the retail price in the UK was calculated and compared to the unit price in cents for the retail price in Malta. Subsequently, correlation between the prices for the two countries was calculated using Microsoft Excel software. For the analgesics, 32 products were compared whereas for the anti-infective agents 51 products were considered. The correlation ratio when the UK retail price was compared to the Maltese retail price, for analgesics was 0.88 and for anti-infective agents was 0.82. The correlation ratio varies within the anti-infective class: antifungals 0.56, penicillins 0.88, macrolides 1.10. This data suggests that the price tends to be generally higher in Malta. The establishment of a correlation ratio serves as a basis for the development of a basic model in the calculation of retail price of medicines in different countries. Also such a model helps in price estimation of medicines that are currently not available on the local market. |
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| Journal | Malta Medical Journal |
| Volume | Volume 15 (suppl) |
| Pages | - |
| Date | |
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| Key words | price, retail, medicine, pharmacy |