‘You can’t keep treating people like fools on what you do in Europe! In Malta, they say they will protect Maltese consumers from higher medicine prices, then they vote for the Directive which will do the exact opposite in Brussels.’ said MEP candidate Dr Peter Agius in reaction to the Government’s position in the Council of Ministers on Friday on the EU’s wastewater treatment Directive.
The controversial Directive proposes to put the cost of wastewater treatment on pharmaceutical companies. Pharmaceutical professionals and ‘Medicines Europe’ say the cost will be passed on to the consumer.
Dr Peter Agius, formerly head of Europe House in Malta, explains that the new Directive will have a treble impact on Maltese patients who already pay higher prices for medicines when compared to European counterparts and are also less likely to have access to innovative medicines when compared to mainland Europe.
Comparative data by the European Federation of Pharmaceuticals Industries shows that Malta is last on the list when it comes to several medicines covered by public health insurance as well as for the availability of medicines (see diagram 1 in annexe). While 45% of medicines would be covered for free in Europe, in Malta that percentage drops to 6%. (see diagram 2 in annexe).
In October last year, Minister Miriam Dalli issued a statement declaring that Malta will protect consumers from price increases in medicines in the ongoing negotiations on wastewater treatment. On Friday however, the Maltese Government voted in favour of the Waste Water Treatment Directive without including any safeguard for price increases on medicines. On the contrary, the Directive now establishes that pharmaceutical companies will need to pay for 80% of the cost of water treatment in Member States. Such additional cost is expected to lead to significant price hikes for medicines for end users according to the Association of Pharmaceutical Producers and ‘Medicines for Europe which highlights the risk of price increases affecting mainly the more vulnerable populations in the European Union.
‘Malta’s situation points to a clear national imperative to take all measures to protect the Maltese consumer from additional price increases on medicines. What does the Government do instead? It supports an EU Directive which will lead to price increases and greater challenges with medicines availability! I find it hard to see the logic in the Government’s actions in Brussels. This adds to the list of reasons for which we need to see a stronger voice for Malta in Europe at the forthcoming MEP elections on 8 June.’ insisted Peter Agius.
