The Ministry of Health has implemented its annual medicine price revision, affecting patient contributions for 301 medications within the national health scheme (GHS), officials said today.
Of the 3,245 medicines reviewed, 1,827 saw wholesale price reductions, 488 increased, and 930 remained stable. The revision directly impacts patient contributions for 179 medicines, which will see increases, while 122 will have reduced costs.
The pricing changes are part of a broader system that can alter medicine costs throughout the year based on five key factors, including patent expiration, new generic alternatives, and annual co-payment renewal cycles.
The majority of medications in our system – 2,179 out of 2,480 – maintain their current patient contribution levels.
The ministry uses reference pricing from specific countries plus a 3% import cost to determine prices, with the cheapest medicine in each category available to patients for a €1 co-payment.
Officials emphasised that patients concerned about increased costs can consult their doctors or pharmacists about switching to cheaper alternatives that require only the basic €1 co-payment.
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