Update from Health Ministry below: The Nationalist Party has insisted that the Government must immediately withdraw the Legal Notice it “introduced stealthily, without any form of consultation with stakeholders, and through which it excessively increased the tariffs on the registration of medicines.”

In a press conference addressed by Shadow Minister for Health Stephen Spiteri, Shadow Minister for Preventive and Primary Care Ian Vassallo, Shadow Minister for Active Ageing Paula Mifsud Bonnici, and Shadow Minister for Inclusion and Consumer Rights Graziella Galea, the PN stated that these increases, which in many cases are more than double, and in some cases exceed one thousand euro, “are burdens that will be reflected directly in the price that patients pay for the medicines they require.”

The PN explained how these tariff increases “were imposed without any consultation whatsoever with importers, the pharmaceutical sector, or the representatives of agents. This is yet another act of arrogance and lack of transparency from a Government intent on hiding and doing everything behind the people’s back.”

The PN argued that “these tariffs, which were not mentioned anywhere in the budget, will increase the prices of medicines. The consumers affected in this case are patients, the elderly, vulnerable individuals, low-income workers, and anyone who depends on medicine to live with dignity. The Government knew all of this, yet still introduced this new hidden tax.”

Stephen Spiteri warned that the excessive increases will affect both long-used medicines and new innovative ones. “Medicines that are not imported in large quantities because the Maltese market is small and limited to a few patients will be hit particularly hard, and the consequence could be that importers, due to the substantial increase in costs, may consider halting importation, negatively impacting those who rely on these medicines,” he said.

Spiteri added that Malta is “already last in Europe in terms of access to innovative medicines, and these decisions may further deprive our patients of the modern treatment to which they are entitled.”

Ian Vassallo explained how these tariff increases will affect not only those who purchase POYC medicines, but also those who need daily medication that is not covered and must be bought out-of-pocket.

“This is a direct burden on the people, on families, on those with chronic illness, on the elderly, and on all those who cannot live without treatment. An increase in importers’ charges inevitably means an increase in price for consumers,” stated Vassallo.

He listed price increases that have already occurred for various medicines even before the tariff increases were reflected in prices, and warned that prices will continue to rise now that the tariffs for medicine registration have increased.

Paula Mifsud Bonnici said that many elderly persons are already at risk of poverty due to expensive medicines, and the €10 increase they received in the budget which already includes the cost-of-living adjustment, is certainly not enough to cope with the new burdens the Government has imposed on them.

She said that this Legal Notice “exposes the hypocrisy of a Government that boasts of a tax-free budget, while at the same time introducing new hidden taxes on medicines that will impact our elderly.”

“In contrast, a Nationalist Party government will provide free GP services for the elderly and establish a medical and social board to assess the impact of medical needs on quality of life, especially in cases requiring orthopaedic interventions for older persons,” said the PN.

Graziella Galea said that medicines are not just another commercial product but an essential need. She stressed that decisions of this kind, taken without social impact assessments and without consultation, are irresponsible and dangerous, and that the Opposition will continue defending consumers and will not allow medicines to become a burden rather than a relief.

The PN said that after it “exposed how the Government introduced this new tax in secret, Minister Jo Etienne Abela published a forced social media message in which he admitted exactly what the PN has stated – that these tariffs were indeed introduced – but still failed to resolve anything.”

The Nationalist Party said that it is calling on the Government to “immediately withdraw the Legal Notice introducing these new tariffs by the Medicines Authority, implemented without consultation with stakeholders.”

It concluded by saying that “a Nationalist Government, as it has always done, will put the patient and the consumer at the centre of every decision, ensuring that health policy is based on seriousness, transparency, and social justice.”

Health Ministry response:

The Ministry for Health and Active Ageing, in response to the PN statement on Legal Notice 254 of 2025, said that “contrary to what the Opposition said, the legal notice concerns a review of the Malta Medicines Authority’s tariffs and does not contain any increase in the price of medicine. These tariffs had not been reviewed for over ten years.”

The Ministry insisted that “changes in tariffs ensure that the Malta Medicines Authority continues to perform its functions, including measures that guarantee the quality and safety of medicines consumed by patients in Malta.”

It added that “not only does the legal notice not contain increases in the price of medicines, but some of the tariffs that the Nationalist Party is mentioning will not even apply to importers and exporters of medicines in our country. In fact, these are related to services offered by the Authority to operators in third countries, including medicine that will not be used in the local market.”

“The reality is that the amount of medicine accessible in our country is among the highest it has ever been, both medicine that the Government provides for free and also medicine that can be purchased on the market,” stated the Ministry.

It concluded by saying that, “the Government has always taken the necessary measures so that medicine that would not be brought to Malta due to the size of the market is accessible to patients anyway. This work is carried out by the Malta Medicines Authority and will continue to do so according to the needs of Maltese and Gozitan patients.”

Photo: PN

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