Prices and Practices
Pharmaceutical Survey 2010
Report by
CONSUMER COUNCIL OF FIJI
Supported by
Funded by
EUROPEAN UNION
About Consumer Council of Fiji (CCOF)
Consumer Council of Fiji (CCOF) is a statutory organization dedicated to protect the rights and interests of consumers in Fiji and promote consumers’ interests nationwide through education, research, campaign and lobbying. It was established in 1976 and currently
has 3 offices in Fiji.
For more information, visit www.consumersfiji.org
Prices and Practices : Pharmaceutical Survey 2010
© 2010. This work is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as
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Layout and Concept : Consumer Council of Fiji.
Printed in Fiji.
USP Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Prices and practices : pharmaceutical survey 2010 / [Consumer Council of Fiji]. – Suva, Fiji : Consumer Council, 2011.
44 p. :col. ill. ; 28 cm.
ISBN: 978-982-98044-2-6
Drugs - Prices - Fiji 2.Prescription pricing - Fiji I. Consumer Council of Fiji.
HD9674.F5P74 2011
338.436151
Published by Consumer Council of Fiji (CCOF)
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CORRIGENDUM
At the time medicines were purchased, Midway Pharmacy Ba did not provide a receipt with
itemized prices nor were the prices stated on the individual medicine pack. The Council sought
the prices of individual medicines over the phone from Midway. This is why the individual
medicine prices for Midway on row number 35 in the appended table (Individual Medicine
Prices & Comments) on page 35 do not tally with the total price paid for the medicines
purchased which is $18. 00. Now that Midway has provided evidence, the Council is satisfied
that the pharmacy is not overcharging. Hence the claims of Midway overcharging made on pages
6, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of this report should be disregarded.
1
CONSUMER COUNCIL OF FIJI
Prices and Practices
Pharmaceutical Survey 2010
A Consumer Council of Fiji Report
2
The Consumer Council of Fiji is greatly appreciative of the proactive assistance and support
of the Ministry of Health, in particular the Honourable Minister Dr Neil Sharma. The survey
would have been difficult had it not been for the support and advice of the Minister. We also
would like to thank the Fiji Commerce Commission and the Pharmacy & Poisons Board for the
valuable comments and advice provided towards strengthening the final report. These three
agencies have also taken the necessary first steps towards taking necessary action on some of
the recommendations included in this report. Last, but not least, the Council wishes to express
its gratitude to those consumers who have assisted this endeavour by way of complaints and
contributing their voice to the public debate over medicine prices in the country. Needless
to say the responsibility for errors, omissions and content of the report lies entirely with the
Consumer Council of Fiji.
Contents
3
Glossary And Acronyms
4
List of Tables
4
Executive Summary 5-7
Introduction
8
Objectives of the study 9
Survey Methodology 10
Key Findings 11 - 20
Pharmacy Trade Practices 21 - 24
Pharmacy Ownership 25
Conclusion and Recommendations 26 - 27
References
28
Appendix:
Response from Pharmacy and Poisons Board 29
Response from Fiji Pharmaceutical Society
30 - 31
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
32 - 42
Price Comparisons - 43 - 47
Same medicine, batch number,
manufacturer/source country
Glossary and Acronyms
4
Glossary and Acronyms
Branded medicines - Branded medicines are those medicines that are protected by patents. A medicine brand name
is often the trade or “brand” name the manufacturer gives to the medicine. Another term used is “originator brand” and
the patent gives the manufacturer the exclusive right to market the medicine under its brand name for a defined period,
often many years depending on the patent conditions. Other companies can have the right to manufacture and market
the medicine under a different name or under its generic name once the patent expires. Branded medicines are often
more expensive because the manufacturer has spent considerable money and other resources in research and clinical
trials, and also packaging and marketing the medicines.
Commerce Commission - The competition and commerce regulator in Fiji responsible for administering and enforcing the Commerce Commission Decree which contains laws and regulations pertaining to fair trade, consumer protection and competition. The Commission is also the price regulator responsible for issuing price control orders and
enforcing such orders.
DHA - Drug Houses of Australia
Drug – In the pharmaceutical industry a drug is a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being. The term “drug” is often used interchangeably with the term “medicine”. Both mean the same thing in the pharmaceutical industry or in pharmacology.
Generic medicines (or generics) - Medicines produced and marketed under their chemical or “generic” name, e.g.
paracetamol as opposed to Panadol, a brand or trade name of a paracetamol produced, patented and marketed by
pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. Generics are normally no longer protected by patents. A generic drug can
only be sold after the patent runs out. While generic drugs are cheaper for consumers, they still must meet the required
standards set by regulatory authorities. For example, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requires that generics
must contain the active ingredients as the original formulation. Generics should have the same route of administration,
safety, efficacy and intended use as branded medicines.
GOF - Government of Fiji
GSK - Glaxo Smith Kline
FIRCA - Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority
FPS - Fiji Pharmaceutical Society
NCDs - Non Communicable Diseases
NGOs -Non Government Organizations
Patent - A patent normally is an exclusive right granted by a government or regulatory agency to an individual inventor
or business to manufacture, market and sell a product or invention for a certain number of years.
Price Control Order – A regulation or legal decision to control or prescribe the allowable maximum price of a product.
PIB- Prices and Incomes Board (now merged with Fiji Commerce Commission)
TIN- Tax Identification Number
VAT- Value Added Tax
List of tables
Table 1 No: of Pharmacies Surveyed in each Division
Table 9 Simvastatin
Table 2 Prices for Prescription Pack
Table 10Enalapril
Table 3 Highest and Lowest Prices (Full Pack)
Table 11Amoxicillin
Table 4 National Analysis-Pharmacies with 6 Generics and One Originator Brand (Glipizide-Minidiab)
Table 12Glipizide
Table 5 Divisional Analysis- Pharmacies with 6 Generics and One Originator Brand (Glipizide-Minidiab)
Table 6 Price Analysis-Frusemide Same Dosage/
Quantity
Table 7 Aspirin
Table 8 Metformin
Table 13Comparison of Same Drug and Quantity
Table 14Non Disclosure of Individual Medicine Prices
Table 15Queries on Prescription
Table 16Pharmacy Ownership
Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Introduction
The pharmaceutical sector plays an important role in providing safe and affordable medicines to the people of any country. Fiji is no exception. Medicine
prices are controlled through the Prices and Incomes Board (PIB (now merged
with Commerce Commission) which sets percentage mark-ups at wholesale and retail level. The Government of Fiji (GOF) has provided incentives
through duty exemptions and consumer protection through percentage
price control. Despite all these measures, consumers are still complaining of
high health costs. This is a direct result of anomalies in the pricing of medications in pharmacies.
While not codified, the general practice amongst pharmacies is to supply generic medication, as opposed to originator brands for prescriptions
from a public hospital or a health centre unless requested by patients to
do otherwise.
The Consumer Council of Fiji conducted surveys in to ascertain prices
of commonly prescribed drugs for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease
and other non communicable diseases. The Fiji Pharmaceutical Society (FPS) rejected the findings of these surveys claiming that they were
technically flawed. The Council’s drawback then was the lack of technical advice
and co-operation from the pharmaceutical sector.
Hence, the Council decided to carry out a comprehensive survey with the assistance of the Ministry of Health and a technical expert to investigate prices of prescribed medicines, pharmacy practices and anti-competitive conduct (if any) in this
very important sector.
In finalising the survey report the Council presented the draft and initial findings to the FPS for its comments.
This endeavour was necessary to get the feedback from FPS and its members on the findings. The FPS had responded via the Minister of Health and a copy of their comments has been included in this published report.
(refer to Appendix)
Survey Methodology
A patient’s prescription from a registered medical doctor at a
public hospital was presented to 47 out of 55 pharmacies for dispensing. These were purchased by the Council and documents
pertaining to this transaction are retained as evidence and for
verification. This study looked at the following aspects:
• Prices of medications of the same brand, quantity, batch
number and country of origin from different pharmacies;
• The kind of brands that were dispensed (generics or originator);
• Whether the consumer was informed of the availability of this
choice to buy generic or originator brands;
• Pharmacists’ conduct in dispensing medicines;
• Whether prices were fully disclosed to the consumer;
• Labelling requirements set by the Ministry of Health which requires the quantity of medication dispensed, directions for
use, brand if possible and prices to be displayed on the 1labels ;
• Whether issuing of receipts complied with the Commerce Commission requirements;
• Whether registered pharmacists were in attendance during the dispensing of medicines; and
• To understand market practices in terms of competition, fair play and corporate social responsibility.
1
Ministry of Health (30 Oct 2009) Press Release on Monitoring of Pharmaceutical Prices in Private Sector
5
Executive Summary
6
Main Findings
1. Thirty (30) or 57% of the pharmacies surveyed charged
higher prices for the same brand and quantity of
medication. In some cases overcharging is by 460%
despite placing medicines under price control. Thirty
(30) tablets of Microlab were sold by Nadi Chemist
for $0.83 where as Midway Pharmacy- Ba & Chovhan
Pharmacy Ltd-Lautoka sold the same tablet and the
same quantity for $4.65.
2. Forty three (43) pharmacies chose to dispense originator brands for one or more items even though generics are widely available. Thus, a $15.00 prescription
would now cost a consumer up to $44.00, which is
three times more or worth a three months supply of
medicines. Twelve pharmacies charged more than
$30.00 while Hyperchem Pharmacy, Lautoka; Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Nadi and Western Medicare Pharmacy,
Ba charged more than $40.00 for the same prescribed
medicine. These are unreasonable profits being made
at the expense of patients. While not breaching any
law, these pharmacies have shown gross negligence
and a complete breach of trust placed on them by
ordinary consumers by dispensing originator brands
without first consulting them. The unsuspecting public, especially the poor, thus need to readjust their
entire months budget which can potentially result in
children missing school,compromise in living standards or simply aggravating further their poverty status. [opinion which would need substantiating]
3. A comparison made for those pharmacies selling 6 generics and 1 originator brand Minidiab
(glipizide) revealed that the highest price for all 7
medicines was charged by Chovhan Pharmacy
Lautoka at $31.00, while Guardian Angel Pharmacy, Laucala Beach offered the lowest price of
$15.35. The percentage price difference between
the lowest and highest for this group was 102%.
This would mean double the price for the same set of
medicine for a consumer in Lautoka than in Suva. Is
this 102% price difference justfied?
4. Only three (3) pharmacies dispensed all 7 generic
medicines as prescribed. Amongst the ‘All Generics’
Group, Health Care Chemist in Tavua charged a higher
price of $30.70 while Nadi Chemist charged $13.45 for
all 7 generic medication. A consumer in Tavua would
pay $17.25 more for the same medicine. This is a classic case of generic medication being sold at a price of
the originator brand drugs to unsuspecting consumers. Interestingly, 36 pharmacies who sold either one
or more originator medicine had a lower total pack
price than Health Care Chemist in Tavua.
5. Thakorlal’s Pharmacy in Lautoka dispensed the incorrect dosage of enalapril. Instead of 10mg (as per
prescription), the pharmacist dispensed 5mg without
informing the buyer. Similarly, Sugar City Pharmacy,
Lautoka issued 15 capsules of amoxillin instead of 9 or
10 for eight hourly courses.
6. Three pharmacies sold generic medication labelled
as originator brand and charged the originator brand
price. Thakorlal Pharmacy in Nadi, Wyse Pharmacy in
Nakasi and Northern Drug Store in Labasa dispensed
generic Apro frusemide but labelled it as Lasix which
is an originator brand tablet and also charged the
price of Laxis ($4.65) which is much more expensive
than generic Apo ($1.35).
7. Some pharmacies sold the same medicine (brand,
dosage & batch number) at different prices. For example, two pharmacies in Ba – Hyperchem and Midway had a 189% price difference for the same medicine Flaminopril enalapril (Flamingo Pharmaceuticals
batch #106). Similarly, Arrow (batch# SAWH0019) was
sold by Budget Pharmacy in Nadi for $2.95 while My
Chemist, Nasea Chemist and Northern Drug Store in
Labasa dispensed the same medicine for $9.45. These
three pharmacies overcharged consumers by 220%.
8. Nineteen (19) pharmacies violated labelling requirements in one way or another.
9.
None of the 47 pharmacies provided individual medicine names on the receipts. However, 32 pharmacies
included the price on the labels. Nineteen (19) pharmacies provided both itemised receipts using codes
and prices on their labels. Out of the 32 pharmacies
that included prices on the labels, 15 did not provide
itemised receipts.
10. Three pharmacies (Sugar City Pharmacy, Lautoka;
Chovhan Pharmacy, Lautoka and Patel Pharmacy, Sigatoka issued a receipt without the company name,
TIN number or company address. Madison Pharmacy,
Suva gave a “chit” with company name and total price
when a receipt was requested. In the Northern Division, Northern Drug Store, Labasa issued a receipt
from “My Chemist” instead of a receipt specifically for
Northern Drug Store. Ownership is the same for My
Chemist and Northern Drug Store.
Executive Summary
11. 51% of total pharmacies under survey made inquiries
on the prescription and the patient, while 49% of the
pharmaciess dispensed the drugs without any further
clarification on the prescription.
12. During the survey, none of the pharmacies asked
whether the patient wanted generics or originator
brand medications. The general rule amongst pharmacists is to dispense generic drugs when presented
with a public hospital prescription.
13. Pharmacy Plus of Suva and Life Pharmacy Nadi had
the incorrect patient’s name typed on the medicine
pack.
14. Generally, the prices of medicine in the Western Division are higher than in Central and Northern Divisions.
In the Central division, Superdrug Pharmacy, Suva and
Central Pharmacy, Suva sold the 7 medicines under
survey for $38.80 and $38.50 respectively.
Recommendation
These findings call for the implementation of some necessary actions that would address current problems and
also benefit the consumers and the pharmaceutical
sector. The following are recommended:
1. To acknowledge that there have been breaches
and unfair trade practices by the pharmaceutical sector and that the enforcement agencies
have not been vigilant;
2. Pharmacy and Poisons Board together with PIB
(Commerce Commission) to prosecute pharmacies if breaches have occurred.
3. The Price Control Order (PCO) is now some 18
years out of date thus urgently needs to be reviewed and amended to address Fiji’s increasing
cost of health care.
4. Pharmacy and Poisons Board needs to take a
more proactive role in regulating the industry
and its practices.
5. The law also establishes the Fiji Pharmaceutical
Society (Section 32B). They need to strengthen
their code of ethics and monitor market practices. FPS to ensure its members wear professional
attire (e.g. white coat) so that the public can differentiate a pharmacist from other pharmacy
staff. FSP should also require that pharmacies
display the pharmacist’s name that is on duty at
one particular period of time;
6. FPS, the Ministry of Health and the Consumer
Council of Fiji should educate consumers on
the different categories of medicines – generics,
branded generics and originator brands, including labelling information;
7. A price list of common drugs consumed for
common illnesses should be prominently displayed at pharmacies. PIB/Commerce Commission to list these in a revised price order;
8. The Ministry of Health to impose a strict “Code
of Conduct” that must be practiced by all pharmacies. The Code of Conduct has to be a binding document and any breaches to it should
lead to fines or cancellation of licenses. FPS and
the Ministry of Health should set up guidelines
for dispensing of drugs.
9. Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority
(FIRCA) can investigate whether companies and
their shareholders are accurately and truthfully
declaring their income for tax purposes. There
are violations, for example, non–pharmacists are
shareholders in some cases and in a few cases
the same shareholder(s) own multiple pharmacies according to the Registrar of Companies’
records;
10. The Ministry of Health and Commerce Commission should also look at the importers and
distributors of pharmaceuticals in Fiji to ensure
competition.
11. The Government to implement the recommendations of this study so that Fiji’s citizens are not
easily manipulated and their health interests are
protected at all times.
7
Introduction
8
Introduction
“
Medications are perhaps the only product where
consumers cannot exercise their preference and
therefore trust that professional guidance is provided
by the pharmacist in good faith. Therefore, professional
and ethical conduct of pharmacist is paramount in
ensuring that consumers are treated fairly.
”
The pharmaceutical sector plays an
important role in providing safe and affordable medications to the citizens of
any country. Fiji is no exception. For this,
a strong regulatory mechanism is required to monitor prices and availability of
essential medicines to ensure that 34% in
urban areas and 43% of people in rural areas
living below the poverty line have access to
affordable medications 2.
A consumer depends solely on the doctors and
the pharmacists to be treated fairly while prescribing and dispensing medicines. Medications
are perhaps the only product where consumers
cannot exercise their preference and therefore
trust that professional guidance is provided
by the pharmacist in good faith. Therefore,
professional and ethical conduct of pharmacist is paramount in ensuring that consumers are treated fairly.
Prescribing in the public sector is primarily by generic name, however in the
private sector both brand and generic
names are in use based on each individual
pharmacists preferences. The existing legislation requires that in the private sector, the
pharmacist must supply the brand prescribed by the doctor, however in practice, the pharmacist may discuss alternative generic products and prices with the patient who
then makes the selection 3.
Medicine prices is an important item on the Ministry of
Health’s agenda 4. In October 2009, the Ministry introduced a monitoring system of Pharmaceutical Prices in
the Private Sector by encouraging the public to report any
price-related issues. In November 2009, the Minister of
Health, Dr Neil Sharma had raised “issues of overcharging”
under the heading of “professionalism and ethics” in a written speech delivered to members of the Fiji Pharmaceutical Society 5. The Ministry of Health in July 2010 convened
2 Preliminary Report on Poverty and Household Incomes in Fiji in 2008-09,
Bureau of Statistics. 2010
3 http://www.haiweb.org/medicineprices/surveys/200409FJ/survey_report.pdf
4 Ministry of Health (30 October, 2009) Naturopathic Medicine – Retailing in Fiji
5 Speech of the Ministry for Health, Dr Neil Sharma delivered to members of
the Fiji Pharmaceutical Society, Natadola, Nadi, 29th Nov 2009. www. www.
a Working Committee on medicine prices comprising
health officials and representatives from the Consumer
Council, Commerce Commission/Prices & Incomes Board
(PIB) and the Ministry of Finance.
Price Control
All medicines in both public and private sectors in Fiji are
imported. Medicines are on percentage price control as
stipulated in the Price Control Order No.5, 1992 Ethical
Medicine. Under the formula outlined in this Order, the
wholesale profit margins for medicines are set at: “Total
into-store cost for pricing plus 20%”, while the retail pharmacies are allowed a maximum mark-up of 30% for over
the counter drugs and 35% for prescription drugs plus
45c for dispensing doctors’ prescriptions” 6. The PIB (now
merged with the Commerce Commission) is the agency
that is charged with monitoring medicine prices and ensuring compliance by wholesalers and retailers of pharmaceutical products. There is no value-added tax (VAT) on
dispensed medicines but this tax is payable on medicines
purchased over the counter without prescription 7.
However, since 1992, the PIB has not done any review of
the PCO on medicines nor has it produced any formal
monitoring report to gauge compliance. The Price Control
Order is now some 18 years out of date and urgently needs
a review and amendment to address Fiji’s increasing cost
of health care. The fact that there is a trend towards private
health care and a user-pay system to relieve pressure on
state-funded services and facilities, price control is a way
to mitigate any negative impacts on poor and low-income
consumers.
Previous Surveys Conducted in 2007
and 2009
This investigation is a continuation of the Council’s monitoring of retail prices of medicines in the local pharmaceutical market. Surveys were conducted in 2007 and 2009
to ascertain prices of essential prescription drugs for most
health.gov.fj/speeches/29/11/2009--Fiji-pharmaceutical-society natadola. html
(Accessed 15 June 2010)
6 Fiji Republic Gazette Supplement, No.26, Friday 5th June, 1992; Legal Notice
No.69, Counter-Inflation Act (Chapter 73), Counter-Inflation (Price Control),
Ethical Medicine, No.5, Order, 1992.
7 http://www.haiweb.org/medicineprices/surveys/200409FJ/survey_report.pdf
Objectives of The Study
common ailments and diseases suffered by a growing
number of people in Fiji such as diabetes, hypertension,
heart diseases and other non-communicable diseases
(NCDs). According to the Ministry of Health, NCDs are the
leading causes of deaths in Fiji and hypertension prevalence is 19.1% 8. In the 2009 price survey the Council analysed the prices of essential drugs voluntarily provided by
selected pharmacies. These prices were then compared
with a similar survey held in 2007 to determine the extent
of price increases. There were limitations to this method.
The pharmacies would have rightly assumed that a price
survey was underway and thus would have supplied prices that did not reflect what was actually charged to consumers. Also, out of 20 leading pharmacies approached in
2009, only 14 provided their prices. It was necessary then
to acquire realistic prices by actually purchasing a number
of prescribed medicines.
Objectives of The Study
The government has played its part by making prescribed
medicines both duty and VAT exempt as well as placing
these under price control. Despite all these measures,
consumers are still complaining of high price variance
between pharmacies and continued rising prices of pharmaceutical products. To this end, the Council carried out
surveys in 2007 and 2009 to ascertain prices of commonly
used prescription drugs which included medications used
for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and other non
communicable diseases. The findings of these surveys
were rejected by the Fiji Pharmaceutical Society (FPS) on
the basis that they were technically flawed. The Council’s
drawback while conducting the survey then was lack of
professional advice and non cooperation by the retail sector.
The Council thus decided to carry out a comprehensive
survey with the help and approval of the Ministry of Health
and a technical expert.
The objective of the survey was to to investigate prices
of prescription medicines, pharmacy practices in dispensing drugs and anti-competitive behaviour (if any) in the
pharmaceutical sector. However, it was equally important
for the Council to establish whether the current Price Control on medicines under the Commerce Commission is
actually benefiting the consumers. More specifically, the
Council investigated the following aspects:
Aspects
Research questions
1.
Price of Medicine
a) Comparison of prices of prescription medicines of the same brand, same batch
number, same country of origin and same quantity in different pharmacies around
Fiji;
b) Whether generics or originator brands were dispensed;
c) Did the pharmacist offer choice between originator and generic medicines?
e) Whether generic medicines were sold at an originator price; and
f ) Comparison of prices of medication in those pharmacies with the same owner(s)
2.
Pharmacy Trade Practices
a) Were pharmacists present at the outlets during dispensing of medications?
b) Was there any interaction between the pharmacist and the consumer?
c) Was the labelling of medications correct and whether directions on the labels were
clearly written?
d) Did the pharmacist disclose the prices of medications before dispensing the
medicines? and
e) Did the consumer receive an itemised receipt and whether price information on
each medicine was clearly stated?
3.
Pharmacy Ownership
a) Who are the owners of these pharmacies? Is there multiple ownerships?
b) Is there price fixing if pharmacies are owned by the same person(s) or cartel like
operation if ownership is different?
It should be noted that while the objective of the survey
was to investigate prices of prescription medicines, scrutinise pharmacy practices and ascertain anti-competitive
behaviour (if any), the ultimate goals have been to correct
the anomalies in the pharmaceutical sector and providing relief to consumers. The first steps towards these goals
have been taken as the Council has received very positive
responses from the principal enforcement agency namely
the Pharmacy & Poisons Board of the Ministry of Health.
The Board was prompted to investigate the issues raised
in the draft report and this had commenced in late 2010.
8 Panapasa G., 2010, ‘Symposium on NCDs’, Fiji Times, 6 July.
During the final stages of the publishing of this report, the
Board informed the Council that a general warning letter
had been issued to all retail pharmacies and specific cases
are being addressed through its disciplinary procedures.
Further, the Council’s recommendation to make public
the action taken against specific pharmacies would be discussed at its first meeting of 2011. It can be asserted here
that the ultimate goals of the report are being gradually
achieved and the Council is very optimistic that the full
impact will soon be realised.
9
Survey Methodology
10
Survey Methodology
In order to understand the
problems pertaining to price
variations, pharmacy practices
and pharmacy ownership,
three separate investigations/
observations were conducted as outlined below:
Prescription
To obtain the actual prices
of medications that patients
pay for required the Council to acquire a prescription
from a medical doctor to purchase medicines from pharmacies around Fiji. The Council with the assistance of the
Ministry of Health was able to obtain a prescription from
a doctor at a public Hospital. (See Appendix 1 for a copy
of the prescription). The prescription was prepared for an
elderly male patient suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It
must be noted that the age of the patient is not stated on
the prescription; instead “Adult/m” is used.
Multiple copies of the same prescription were taken to
pharmacies around Fiji. The staff posed as a relative, an
employee, a neighbour or a friend of the patient when
presenting the prescription for dispensing. The Council
bought the medicines under the patient’s name. The survey was held from 26th April to 12th May 2010, covering
Nausori, Suva-Nasinu, Sigatoka, Nadi, Lautoka, Ba, Rakiraki,
Tavua and Labasa.
A total of 47 pharmacies were surveyed around Fiji. The
total cost of the medicines from the 47 pharmacies was
$1169.63. A total of 23 pharmacies were surveyed in the
Central/Eastern Division – along the Suva-Nausori corridor, while 21 were surveyed in the Western Division from
Sigatoka to Rakiraki and 3 in the Northern Division (Labasa
has only 3 pharmacies).
Medicines
A total of seven (7) medicines (amoxicillin, enalapril, simvastatin, metformin, frusemide, glipizide and aspirin) were
prescribed with a maximum of 2 repeats for all except for
amoxicillin which the prescription did not allow for a repeat (see Appendix 1 for details). Since the ailments addressed in the prescription are common in Fiji, it is expected that these medicines are readily available in around
the country pharmacies.
Table 1: No. of Pharmacies Surveyed in each Division
DIVISIONS
No. of Pharmacies
Central/Eastern
23
Western
21
Northern
3
TOTAL
47
Pharmacy Trade Practices- Observation
The Council also prepared a checklist for observations regarding pharmacy practices while dispensing medicines.
Some of these were:
• Presence of pharmacists on the premises and during
dispensing;
• Labelling requirements as set by the Ministry of Health
which require that the quantity of medication dispensed, directions for use, brand (if possible) and prices
to be displayed on the labels;
• Was the patient given a choice to purchase a generic or
an originator brand?;
• If information such as phone contact, age, etc of the
patient was sought by the pharmacy;
• Was itemised receipt given with price information on
each medicine and whether these were clearly stated?
• Pharmacist interaction with the patient;
• Disclosure of prices; and
• Issuance of receipts.
Pharmacy Ownership
This was done by retrieving pharmacy ownership documents from the Registrar of Companies. The idea is to
ascertain ownership and investigate possibility of price
fixing if more than one pharmacy is owned by the same
person(s) or cartel like operation if ownership is different. The intention was to understand market practices
in terms of competition, fair play and corporate social
responsibility.
Key Findings
11
Key Findings
PRICE ANALYSIS
Out of the 47 pharmacies,
7 did not offer the full
pack of medicines as prescribed. Six pharmacies
did not dispense amoxicillin since the
prescription
was written
a while
a g o ,
while
one
did
not have glipizide. Most pharmacies dispensed Minidiab brand of glipizide
as generics are not readily available and
with little price difference. However there
No
Pharmacy
is no excuse for dispensing Lasix instead of frusemide as
this is readily available.
In the analysis (see Appendix 2), all 47 pharmacies were
considered depending on the type of information that
was sought. For example, all 47 pharmacies were considered while investigating pharmacy practices and the cost
of individual medicine while 40 pharmacies were considered for determining the cost of all 7 medicines.
Prescription Pack: Price Differences,
Lowest and Highest
The comparison is made for all (7) prescribed medicines
purchased by the Council staff irrespective of generics
and originator brand as choice was not offered by any of
the pharmacy. Table 2 below provides what a consumer is
most likely to pay for the 7 medicines from 47 pharmacies.
Location
Total Price
CENTRAL/EASTERN DIVISION
1
A.J. Swann Co Ltd, Suva
21 Thomson St, Suva
$19.40
2
Amy Street Pharmacy, Toorak
120 Amy St, Toorak
$18.85
3
Central Pharmacy, Suva
Lot 1, Cumming St, Mid city, Suva
$38.50
4
City Centre Pharmacy, Suva
MHCC, Suva
$28.26
5
Flagstaff Pharmacy, Suva
7 Rewa St, Flagstaff
$28.75
6
Good Health Care Pharmacy, Suva
Nasese Medical Centre,62 Ratu Sukuna Rd
$18.35
7
Guardian Angel Pharmacy, L/Beach
Vivras Plaza, Laucala Bch
$15.35
8
Holistic Pharmacy, Suva
1 Nina Street, Suva
$15.15*
9
Laucala Bay Pharmacy, Suva
Sport City,1 Grantham Rd, Laucala Bay
$18.60
10
Life Pharmacy, Nausori
Lot 1, NG Patel Rd, Nausori
$14.50*
11
Madison Pharmacy, Suva
83 Cumming St,Suva
$19.90
12
Mega Care Pharmacy, Makoi, Nasinu
Matanikorovatu Road, Makoi
$23.25*
13
Metro Pharmacy, Suva
Renwick Road, Suva
$25.20*
14
Nasese Pharmacy , Suva
36 Ratu Sukuna Rd, Nasese,Suva
$29.85
15
Nausori Pharmacy Ltd, Nausori
Kings Rd, Nausori
$25.26
16
Pharmacy Plus, Suva
190 Renwick Rd, Suva
$20.30
17
Rewa Pharmacy, Nausori
Wing Zoing Wah Bldg, Main Street, Nausori
$13.60*
18
Samabula Drug Store,Samabula
77 Ratu Mara Rd, Samabula
$15.90
19
Superdrug Pharmacy, Nabua
550 Rt Mara Rd, Nabua
$23.30*
20
Superdrug Pharmacy, Suva
Suva Central Bldg, Suva
$38.80
21
Suva City Pharmacy, Suva
10 Thomson St, Suva
$21.40*
22
Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi
Tebara Shopping Mall, Nakasi
$29.65
23
Wyse Pharmacy, Valelevu
Shop 4,Daniva Rd, Valelevu
$24.50
Key Findings
12
WESTERN DIVISION
24
Budget Pharmacy, Nadi
Shop 3, Namaka Lane, Nadi
$18.00
25
Care Chemist, Sigatoka
Suewing Bldg,Sigatoka
$20.31
26
Chandulal’s Pharmacy, Lautoka
23 Yasawa St, Lautoka
$19.80
27
Chovhan Pharmacy Ltd, Lautoka
5 Yasawa St, Lautoka
$31.00
28
Health Care Chemist, Tavua
Market St, Tavua
$30.70
29
Health First Pharmacy, Nadi
40 Lodia St, Nadi Town
$32.08
30
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Ba
Main St, Ba
$21.55
31
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Lautoka
101 Vitogo Parade, Lautoka
$44.25
32
Island Pharmacy Complex, Nadi
Main St, Nadi
$24.55
33
Island Pharmacy, Ba
62 Bank St, Ba
$28.50
34
Life Pharmacy Ltd, Nadi
41 Lodhia St, Nadi
$22.00
35
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
Kings Rd, Ba
$18.00
36
MS Pharmacy, Nadi
9 Caly St, Nadi Town
$25.35
37
Nadi Chemist, Nadi
Clay St, Nadi Town
$13.45
38
Naidu’s Medical Centre
Vaileka Street, Rakiraki
$30.50
39
Namaka Medisure Pharmacy, Nadi
Namaka Lane, Nadi
$31.00
40
Patel Pharmacy Ltd, Sigatoka
Box 12,Sigatoka
$30.50
41
Sugar City Pharmacy Ltd, Lautoka
23 Naviti St, Lautoka
$21.55
42
Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Lautoka
1003 Vitogo Parade, Lautoka
$30.17
43
Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Nadi
347 Main St, Nadi
$40.10
44
Western Medicare Pharmacy, Ba
Main Street, Ba
$40.50
NORTHERN DIVISION
45
My Chemist, Labasa
Shop 5 Nasekula Rd, Labasa
$23.40
46
Nasea Chemist, Labasa
Shop1,168 Nasekula Rd,Labasa
$21.80
47
Northern Drug Store, Labasa
R.B.Patel Building, Labasa
$25.50
*pharmacies that did not dispense all 7 medicine
Pharmacies in the Western Division had both the most
expensive and lowest priced pack. The most expensive
pack was $44.25 purchased at Hyperchem Pharmacy in
Lautoka, while the lowest priced pack was $13.45 at Nadi
Chemist. The highest price in the Central/Eastern area was
$38.80 recorded at Superdrug Pharmacy (Suva Central
Bldg), while the lowest priced pack was sold by Guardian
Angel Pharmacy (Vivraz Plaza, Laucala Beach) for $15.35.
There were not much price differences between the three
pharmacies in the Northern Division. The Northern Drug
Store had the highest price of $25.50, while Nasea Chemist
had the lowest at $21.80.
The percentage difference between the highest and lowest prices for the full complement of prescribed medicines was 229%. This means that a consumer who pays
the highest price of $44.25 for the prescribed medicine
pack was paying 229% more or three times more than the
one who pays the lowest price of $13.45. The Northern Division had the lowest price difference which reflects the
limited choice consumers have in this division. In essence
we can deduce that huge price gaps exists between the
pharmacies (irrespective of originator brand or generics)
and many consumers may be unaware of this and are buying medicines at exorbitant prices.
Table 3 below shows percentage difference in each division and at the national level.
Table 3: Highest & Lowest Prices (Full Pack)
DIVISION
LOWEST PRICE
HIGHEST PRICE
% Difference
All/National
$13.45
$44.25
229%
Central/Eastern
$15.35
$38.80
153%
Western
$13.45
$44.25
229%
Northern
$21.80
$25.50
17%
Key Findings
Pharmacies that sold 6 generics and one originator medicine
A comparison was also made for 16 pharmacies that sold 6 generics and 1 originator brand from the prescribed 7 medicines. From these 16 pharmacies, nine (9) are in the Central/Eastern, 4 in the Western and 3 in the Northern division.
Table 4: National Analysis – Pharmacies with 6
generics and one originator brand
(Glipizide – Minidiab)
Number of pharmacies compared
16
Highest Price (Chovhan Pharmacy Lautoka)
$31.00
Lowest Price (Guardian Angel Pharmacy, Laucala
Beach, Nasinu)
$15.35
Price difference between lowest and highest
price
$15.65
Percentage price difference between lowest and
highest price
102%
The highest price was charged by Chovhan Pharmacy Lautoka at $31.00, while Guardian Angel Pharmacy, Laucala Beach
Nasinu had the lowest price of $15.35. The percentage price difference between the lowest and highest priced pharmacy
in this group was 102%. Below are the price differences per division.
Table 5: Divisional Analysis- Pharmacies with 6 generics and one originator brand (Glipizide – Minidiab)
CENTRAL/EASTERN
WESTERN
NORTHERN
Lowest price
$15.35
$20.80
$21.80
Highest price
$29.85
$31.00
$25.50
Price difference between lowest and highest price
$14.50
$10.20
$3.70
Percentage price difference between lowest and highest price
94%
49%
17%
The price difference for the same packs (6 generics and 1 originator brand) in 3 division show the same medicines are sold
at a higher price in the Western and Northern divisions compared to the Central division. Consumers have limited choice
in costs in the Western and Northern divisions. The percentage differences between the lowest and highest prices were:
Central/Eastern – 94%; Western – 49%; and Northern – 17%. In Labasa, consumer choice is restricted because there are
only three pharmacies where two have common ownership.
All Generics
Only three (3) pharmacies dispensed all 7 generic medicines listed as per prescription. These were Midway Pharmacy, Ba;
Health Care Chemist, Tavua and Nadi Chemist.
Amongst the ‘All Generics’ Group’, the Health Care Chemist in Tavua charged a higher price of $30.70 while Nadi Chemist
charged $13.45 for all 7 generic medication. A consumer in Tavua paid $17.25 more for the same medicine. This is a case
of generics being sold at a price of originator drugs to unsuspecting consumers. Interestingly, 36 pharmacies who sold
either one or more originator medicine had a lower total pack price than Health Care Chemist in Tavua.
Comparison of Prices per Medicine
For price comparison of individual medicines sold in all 47 pharmacies see
Appendix 2. However, listed below are examples of medicines on which price
comparisons were made for the same brand with identical quantity and the
same manufacturer offered by the pharmacies (see Appendix 3).
13
Key Findings
14
Frusemide
Twenty (20) pharmacies dispensed Microlab frusemide, 19 sold Lasix, while 6 dispensed Apo. One pharmacy dispensed Durin, while another gave Flamingo frusemide.
Midway Pharmacy- Ba and Chovhan pharmacy- Lautoka dispensed the same drug as Nadi Chemist (Microlab) but
charged 460% more i.e. $4.65 compared to Nadi Chemist which sold the same drug for 0.83cents. This is a case of
unethical practice where consumers were duped into buying generic medicine but at an originator drug price. A
similar case is with Apo where Nasea Chemist in Labasa sold Apo for $1.35 while Northern Drug Store, Thakorlal
Pharmacy, Nadi and Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi charged $4.65 for the same drug, a price difference of 244%!
Table 6: Price Analysis – Frusemide Same Dosage/Quantity
Manufactures
Name
Medicine
Name
No. of
Quantity
pharmacies
Not stated
FrusemideMicrolab
20
Not stated
FrusemideApo
6
Lowest Price
Highest Price
% price
Difference
30/40mg
$0.83
Nadi Chemist
$4.65
Midway Pharmacy- Ba &
Chovhan Pharmacy LtdLautoka charged originator
brand price for generic
medicine.
460%
30/40mg
$1.35
Nasea
Chemist,Labasa
$4.65
Northern Drug Store, Wyse
Pharmacy, Nakasi & Thakorlal
Pharmacy-Nadi charged
originator brand price for
generic medicine.
244%
Aspirin
Aspirin is a common drug available in Fiji. The Care Chemist in Sigatoka sold Cardiprin–an originator brand for $4.61
instead of generic aspirin which is sold for $0.60. A consumer could have saved $4.01 if the pharmacist had given
the consumer the option to choose.
Table 7: Aspirin
Medicine
Name
No of
pharmacy
Quantity
Lowest Price
Highest Price
% price
Difference
Aspirin –
India
26
15/300mg
$0.60
Mega Care Pharmacy, Holistic
Pharmacy, Rewa Pharmacy, Wyse
Pharmacy – Valelevu
$2.70
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
350%
Aspirin India
15
30/300mg
$0.73
Health First Pharmacy, Life Pharmacy
Ltd -Nadi, Nadi Chemist
$2.00
Western Medicare
Pharmacy, Lautoka
174%
Aspirin India
2
20/300mg
$2.25
Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi
$2.70
Chovhan Pharmacy
Ltd
20%
From the above table it can be deduced that it was cheaper to obtain 30 tablets at $0.73 or 2 months supply than
to get 15 tablets for $0.60 which was enough for a month. Midway Pharmacy, Ba sold 15 tablets at $2.70, i.e. 350%
more for the same quantity and same brand of medicine available at Mega Care Pharmacy, Holistic Pharmacy, Rewa
Pharmacy, and Wyse Pharmacy – Valelevu that sold aspirin for $0.60. Health First Pharmacy- Nadi, Life Pharmacy
Ltd -Nadi, Nadi Chemist sold 30 tablets at $0.73 compared to Western Medicare Pharmacy, Lautoka which sold the
same tablets in the same quantity at $2.00, which is a price difference of 174%. These are examples of unfair trade
practices. The pharmacies have engaged in profiteering thus defeating the whole purpose of placing medicines
under Price Control.
Key Findings
15
Metformin
There are pharmacies that sell originator drugs rather than generic drugs for maximum profits. For example Life
Pharmacy Ltd, Nadi and Namaka Medisure Pharmacy, Nadi sold Glucophage while MS Pharmacy in Nadi and Western Medicare Pharmacy, Lautoka and Super Drug Pharmacy, Suva sold Diaformin - both are originator brands although generic metformin is readily available for diabetic patients as diabetes is a common ailment in Fiji.
Table 8: Metformin
Manufacturer
Name
Name
No of
pharmacy
Quantity
Lowest Price
Highest Price
% price
Difference
Pure Pharma Ltd, Pure
India
Pharma
10
30/500mg
$1.05
$2.00
Wyse Pharmacy – Valelevu, AJ Swann
Mega Care PharmacyPharmacy, Suva
Makoi, Holistic Pharmacy
– Suva
94%
Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd, India
Flamingo
11
30/500mg
$1.48
Health First Pharmacy,
Nadi and Nadi Chemist
$2.70
Midway
Pharmacy, Ba
82%
Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd, India
Flamingo
3
15/300mg
$1.35
Nasea Chemist and
Northern Drug Store in
Labasa.
$1.95
My
Chemist,Labasa
44%
Windlas Biotech
Ltd, India
Metofen
2
30/500mg
$1.38
Amy St. Pharmacy - Suva.
$1.95
Rewa Pharmacy Nausori
41%
Comparing the same batch numbers and source of medicines, Midway Pharmacy, Ba sold the most expensive
Flamingo metformin at $2.70, while Health First Pharmacy Nadi and Nadi Chemist sold the tablets at $1.48. Price difference was 82%. The most common price was $1.95 charged by Nausori Pharmacy, Suva City Pharmacy, Chadulal’s
Pharmacy, Lautoka and Hyperchem Pharmacy, Ba.
Ten (10) pharmacies in the Central/Eastern Divison sold the same batch of metformin (Pure Pharma, batch number
80002). AJ Swann Suva sold at $2.00 while Mega Care Pharmacy Makoi sold the same quantity at $1.05, a price difference of 94%.
Key Findings
16
Simvastatin
Six (6) pharmacies dispensed Arrow simvastatin (SAWH0019). The highest price was recorded in the three Labasa pharmacies at $9.45. Budget Pharmacy Nadi had the cheapest price of $2.95. The three northern pharmacies
charged 220% more than the cheapest Arrow simvastatin purchased.
Winstatin was sold by Amy Street Pharmacy; Good Health Care, Suva; Guardian Angel, L/Beach for $3.15 while
Western Medicare Ltd charged $10.00. This is a price difference of 217%, which is three times more than what a
consumer would pay for in Suva.
Five (5) pharmacies dispensed Arrow simvastatin (SAWH0023). Chovhan Pharmacy Lautoka charged $7.50, which
was 143% more expensive than the lowest price offered by Nadi Chemist which was $3.08.
Arrow (Batch No: SAWH0021) was sold by Patel Pharmacy in Sigatoka for $15.00 while Hyperchem Pharmacy, Ba
sold the same tablets for $5.10, a price difference of 194%
Table 9: Simvastatin
Manufacturer
Name
Name
Not Stated
Arrow
Batch No:
SAWH0019
Windlas Biotech
Ltd, India
No of
pharmacy
Quantity
Lowest Price
Highest Price
% price
Difference
6
30/20mg
$2.95
Budget Pharmacy,
Nadi
$9.45
220%
My Chemist,
Nasea Chemist
and Northern
Drug Store in
Labasa
Winstatin
4
30/20mg
$3.15
Amy Street Pharmacy;
Good Health Care,
Suva; Guardian Angel,
L/Beach;
$10.00
Western
Medicare Ltd
Not Stated
Arrow
Batch No:
SAWH0021
3
30/20mg
$5.10
$15.00
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Patel
Ba
Pharmacy,
Sigatoka
194%
Not Stated
Arrow
Batch#
SAWH0023
5
30/20mg
$3.08
Nadi Chemist, Nadi
$11.55
Central
Pharmacy,
Suva
275%
Cipla Ltd, Ltd
Simcard
11
30/20mg
$9.75
Flagstaff Pharmacy
in Suva, Mega Care
Pharmacy in Makoi
and Thakorlal’s
Pharmacy in Nadi.
$11.59
Health First
Pharmacy,
Nadi
19%
Crescent Pharma
Ltd
Crescsent
2
28/20mg
$5.85
Thakor lal Pharmacy,
Lautoka
$18.00
207%
Health Care
Chemist, Tavua
217%
Key Findings
Enalapril
17
The most popularly dispensed enalapril was Flaminopril (17 pharmacies). The most expensive, Flaminopril (same
batch #1868) was recorded in the Western Division, at Chovhan Pharmacy in Lautoka. It was selling it for $5.00, while
the lowest price of $1.50 was recorded in the Centra/Eastern Divison at Life Pharmacy in Nausori, a difference of
about 233%. This drug was commonly priced at $1.95 by three pharmacies - Pharmacy Plus, Samabula Drug Store
and Suva City Pharmacy.
Nine (9) pharmacies sold Invoril enalapril from Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India. The medicine had the same batch
number 1952512 and expiry date of 08/2010. The highest price was recorded by Wyse Pharmacy Nakasi at $4.50 and
interestingly Wyse Valelevu offered the lowest price of $2.25. The price difference between the two Wyse branches
for the same medicine is 100%.
There was a price difference of 189% between two pharmacies selling Flaminopril (Batch No: 106). Hyperchem
Pharmacy, Ba sold this drug for $1.73 while Midway Pharmacy, Ba sold the same drug for $5.00.
AJ Swann Suva sold Sunapril enalapril at 66% more than two pharmacies selling the same batch – Metro Pharmacy
Suva and Superdrug Nabua.
Table 10: Enalapril
Manufacturer
Name
Name
Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd, India
Flaminopril
Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd, India
No of
Quantity
pharmacy
Lowest Price
Highest Price
% price
Difference
14
30/10mg
$1.50
Life Pharmacy Ltd,
Nausori
$5.00
Chovhan Pharmacy,
Lautoka
233%
Flaminopril
Batch No:
106
2
30/10mg
$1.73
Hyperchem Pharmacy,
Ba
$5.00
Midway Pharmacy,
Ba
189%
Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd,
India
Invoril
9
30/10mg
$2.25
$4.50
Guardian Angel, L/Beach; Wyse Pharmacy,
Wyse Pharmacy, Valelevu Nakasi
Suvik Hitek Pvt
Lt, India
Sunapril
3
30/10mg
$1.95
Super Drug, Nabua and
Metro Pharmacy, Suva
$3.25
AJ Swann
Pharmacy, Suva
66%
Merck Sharp
Renitec
Dohme(Australia)
Pty Ltd
2
30/10mg
$9.00
Western Medicare
Lautoka
$13.01
Hyperchem
Pharmacy, Lautoka
45%
Global Pharma
Health Care Pvt
Ltd, India
4
30/10mg
$3.69
Amy Street Pharmacy,
Suva
$3.75
City Centre
Pharmacy &
Good Health Care
Pharmacy, Suva and
Rewa Pharmacy,
Nausori
1.6%
Batch No:
1868
Priloten
100%
Key Findings
18
Amoxicillin
Apo, a most popular generic was dispensed in three different quantities – 9/500mg; 10/500mg and 15/500mg. For
the 9/500mg quantity the highest price was $4.00 by Chovhan Pharmacy Ltd, Lautoka and lowest of $1.67 by Life
Pharmacy, Nadi (percentage price difference of 89%).
Stalmox amoxicillin, manufactured by Stallion Laboratories Pvt Ltd, India was dispensed by Guardian Angel Pharmacy, L/Beach for $1.85 while Island Pharmacy, Ba dispensed the same drug for $7.00, a price difference of 278%.
GSK was sold for $3.60 by MS Pharmacy, Nadi and the same medicine was sold for $7.24 by Thakorlal’s Pharmacy,
Lautoka, a price difference of 101%. See table below for more details.
Table 11: Amoxicillin
Manufacturer
Name
Name
Stallion
Laboratories Pvt
Ltd, India
Stalmox
(Prawil
Laboratories Ltd)
Amoxywil
Glaxo Smith
Kline Australia
Pty Ltd
GSK
Not stated
Pure Pharma Ltd,
India
No of
Quantity
pharmacy
Lowest Price
Highest Price
10/500mg
$1.85
Guardian Angel
Pharmacy, L/Beach
$7.00
Island Pharmacy, Ba
278%
9/500mg
$1.61
Amy Pharmacy, Suva
$4.00
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
148%
2
9/500mg
$3.60
MS Pharmacy, Nadi
$7.24
Thakorlal’s Pharmacy,
Lautoka
101%
Apo
10
9/500mg
$1.67
Life Pharmacy, Nadi
$4.00
Chovhan Pharmacy
Ltd, Lautoka
89%
Peemox
2
10/500mg
$1.85
Wyse Pharmacy,
Nakasi
$2.65
Flagstaff Pharmacy,
Suva
43%
2
% price
Difference
Glipizide
With the same source and batch number, six pharmacies dispensed the same Minidiab glipizide (batch L927B). The
highest price was recorded at Island Pharmacy Ba ($3.50) while the cheapest was sold by Madison Suva ($3.00).
Ten pharmacies dispensed the same Minidiab glipizide (batch L942A). The highest price recorded was $3.75 by City
Centre Pharmacy Suva and Nasea Chemist Labasa, while the lowest was sold by Central Pharmacy Suva for $3.00.
The price difference was $0.75 or 25%. An interesting observation was that Life Pharmacy Nausori sold this same
batch medicine but at a higher dosage of 40/5mg for $2.50. Most of the 30/5mg dosage sold cost more than $2.50.
The generic DHA glipizide was sold for $4.45 (Midway Pharmacy-Ba) and lowest at $3.00 (Health Care Chemist,
Tavua), a percentage price difference of 48%.
Table 12: Glipizide
Manufacturer
Name
Name
No of
pharmacy
Quantity
Lowest Price
Highest Price
Pfizer Australia Minidiab
Pty Ltd
Batch No:
L942A
10
30/5mg
$3.00
Central Pharmacy, Suva
$3.75
City Centre Pharmacy,
Suva and Nasea
Chemist in Labasa.
Pfizer Australia Minidiab
Pty Ltd
Batch No:
M111A
15
30/5mg
$3.08
Care Chemist, Sigatoka
$4.45
Chovhan Pharmacy,
Lautoka
Pfizer Australia Minidiab
Pty Ltd
Batch No:
M111A
6
40/5mg
$4.05
Superdrug Pharmacy,
Suva and Thakorlal’s
Pharmacy, Nadi
$4.85
Superdrug Pharmacy,
Nabua and Flagstaff
Pharmacy, Suva
20%
Drug House
of Australia
(Asia) Pte Ltd
Singapore
2
30/5mg
$3.00
Health Care
Chemist,Tavua
$4.45
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
48%
DHA
% price
Difference
25%
44.5%
Key Findings
Price Variance- Same Medicine and Same Quantity
Pharmacists are charging higher prices for the same drug and quantity which has no credible explanation other than overpricing. The following table would illustrate this point:
Table 13: Comparison of same drug and quantity
Manufacturers Name
Drug Name
Quantity
Weight
Lowest Price
Highest Price
% difference
Microlab
Frusemide
30
40mg
$0.83 - Nadi Chemist
$4.65
Midway Pharmacy- Ba & Chovhan Pharmacy
Ltd-Lautoka charged originator brand price
for generic medicine.
460%
Apo
Frusemide
30
40mg
$1.35 - Nasea Chemist,Labasa
$4.65
Northern Drug Store, Wyse Pharmacy,
Nakasi & Thakorlal Pharmacy-Nadi charged
originator brand price for generic medicine.
244%
Aspirin – India
15
300mg
$0.60 - Mega Care Pharmacy, Holistic
Pharmacy, Rewa Pharmacy, Wyse
Pharmacy – Valelevu
$2.70
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
350%
Aspirin - India
30
300mg
$0.73 - Health First Pharmacy, Life
Pharmacy Ltd -Nadi, Nadi Chemist
$2.00
Western Medicare Pharmacy, Lautoka
174%
Pure Pharma Ltd
Pure Pharma –
Metformin
30
500mg
$1.05 - Wyse Pharmacy – Valelevu,
Mega Care Pharmacy-Makoi, Holistic
Pharmacy – Suva
$2.00
A.J. Swan Pharmacy, Suva
94%
Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals Ltd
FlamingoMetformin
30
500mg
$1.48 - Health First Pharmacy, Nadi
Chemist
$2.70
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
82%
ArrowSimvastatin
Batch #
SAWH0019
30
20mg
$2.95 - Budget Pharmacy Nadi
$9.45
My Chemist, Nasea Chemist and Northern
Drug Store, Labasa
220%
ArrowSimvastatin
Batch #
SAWH0023
30
20mg
$3.08 - Nadi Chemist, Nadi
$11.55
Central Pharmacy Suva
275%
Crescent Pharma Ltd
Crescent
Batch# 08016
28
20mg
$5.85 - Thakor lal Pharmacy, Lautoka
$18.00
Health Care Chemist, Tavua
207%
Windlas Biotech Ltd
WinstatinSimvastatin
30
20mg
$3.15 - Amy Street Pharmacy; Good
Health Care, Suva; Guardian Angel,
L/Beach;
$10.00
Western Medicare Ltd
217%
Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals Ltd
FlaminoprilEnalapril
30
10mg
$1.50 - Holistic Pharmacy, Suva
$5.00
Nadi Chemist, Patel Pharmacy, Sigatoka
233%
Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals Ltd,
India
Flaminopril
Batch No: 106
2
30/10mg
$1.73 - Hyperchem Pharmacy, Ba
$5.00
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
189%
Ranbaxy Laboratories
Ltd
InvorilEnalapril
30
10mg
$2.25 - Guardian Angel, L/Beach;
Wyse Pharmacy, Valelevu
$4.50
Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi
100%
Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd
SunaprilEnalapril
30
10mg
$1.95 - Super Drug, Nabua
$3.25
A.J.Swan Pharmacy, Suva
66%
Merck Sharp Dohme
Pty Ltd
RenitecEnalapril
30
10mg
$9.00 - Western Medicare Lautoka
$13.01
Hyperchem, Lautoka
45%
ApoAmoxicillin
9
500mg
$1.67 - Life Pharmacy, Nadi
$4.00
Chovhan Pharmacy Ltd,Lautoka
89%
Stallion Laboratories
Pty Ltd
StalmoxAmoxicillin
10
500mg
$1.85 - Guardian Angel Pharmacy,
L/Beach
$7.00
Island Pharmacy, Ba
278%
Prawil Laboratories
Ltd
Amoxywil
9
500mg
$1.61 - Amy Street Pharmacy, Suva
$4.00
Midway Pharmacy, Nadi
148%
Glaxo Smith Kline
GSKAmoxicillin
9
500mg
$3.60 - MS Pharmacy, Nadi
$7.24
Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Lautoka
101%
Pfizer Australia Pty
Ltd
MinidiabGlipizide
30
5mg
$3.00 - Madison Pharmacy, Suva;
Central Pharmacy, Suva
$4.45
Chovhan Pharmacy, Lautoka
48%
19
Key Findings
20
Meaningless Pricing
This survey clearly demonstrates anomalies in pricing despite placing medicines under Price Control. A few examples of meaningless pricing are outlined below:
• Midway Pharmacy, Ba sold 15 aspirin for $2.70, Wyse
Pharmacy, Nakasi sold 20 aspirin for $2.25 whereas
Health First Pharmacy, Life Pharmacy, Nadi, and Nadi
Chemist sold 30 aspirin for $0.73. Why sell 15 aspirin for
$2.70 but 30 aspirin for $0.73?
• Sugar City Pharmacy, Lautoka sold 15 amoxicillin (Apo)
for $3.45 while Chovhan Pharmacy Ltd, Lautoka sold 9
tablets of amoxicillin (Apo) for $4.00.
• 10 Amoxywil was sold for $2.00 by Hyperchem, Ba
where as Midway Pharmacy Ltd sold 9 tablets of Amoxywil for $4.00.
• Island Pharmacy, Ba dispensed 30 Crescent, aimvastitin
for $9.00 while Thakorlal Pharmacy, Lautoka dispensed
28 tablets for $5.85. Why does it cost $3.15 for only two
extra tablets?
Profitability VS. Profiteering
The above analysis clearly shows that the majority of pharmacies in Fiji are unnecessarily charging higher prices
thus indulging in profiteering. The trade margins in pharmaceuticals are astronomical. The difference in price is
over 400%! The pharmaceutical sector owes an explanation to the Government (provider of incentives) and the
public (consumers) for these absurd anomalies in prices.
Although prescribed medicines are placed under Price
Control with a percentage mark up of 35%, the Council’s
survey still reveals very high trade margins. For example,
drugs such as Microlab frusemide (with 460% price difference); aspirin (India) (with 350% price difference); Stalmox
amoxicillin (with 278% price difference) are only a tip of
the iceberg. It was also noted that several pharmacies
sold originator brand for maximum profits. Consumers are
forced to pay for a very inflated cost, which could have
been easily reduced by retailers and still make reasonable
profits.
Letter to Editor
coming so my wife thought it was a genuine mistake
and left.
Medicine
price
My wife returned home to Australia recently after
spending time with sick Mum in Suva and related a
rather disquieting story. After a visit to their family doctor, her Mum was given a prescription for 30 tablets
which they took to a pharmacy in the Nabua area. The
sales assistant was very helpful and polite. While she
was browsing, the sales assistant told her that the prescription would cost $30.75.
She was surprised at the high cost, but as the need
was urgent she gave approval for the prescription to
be filled. When the medication was brought to her in
a plastic zip lock bag, she decided to check the contents and noticed only 20 tablets instead of the 30 prescribed. The sales assistant was embarrassed, but rectified the problem through the pharmacist. While an
apology was given, no further explanation was forth-
However she decided to share the experience with her
sister who uses a pharmacy in Laucala Bay area. What
she found was that her sister had paid only $6.75 for
the same prescription the previous month at the Laucala Bay pharmacy. They rang the Laucala Bay pharmacist who was very helpful and explained that the
medication from Nabua pharmacy was most likely the
original, hence the exorbitant price.
It came to light after my wife checked with the pharmacy in Nabua that the medication was indeed the
original, hence the excessive cost. It was ironic that a
few days later, the local newspapers featured an article on generic brands versus original brands and how
some pharmacies were not giving the public the option to choose.
The other disconcerting thing is that, the Nabua and
nearby areas are serviced by possibly one pharmacy.
This leaves members of the public little or no choice
and at the ‘mercy’ of a monopolistic trader.
COLIN DEOKI
Australia
Published in Fiji Times - 19/12/2010
Pharmacy Trade Practices
Pharmacy Trade Practices
21
This part of the report deals with non-price issues in particular pharmacy practices in dispensing medicines to
consumers.
1
Non-disclosure of individual medicine prices
It should be noted that 10 pharmacies (see Table 14) did not
provide price information on individual receipts or on the package. Instead the total cost of medicine purchased was provided.
Seven (7) of these pharmacies are in the Western Division while
3 are in the Central/Eastern Divisions. All 3 pharmacies in Labasa
provided itemised receipts. However, Northern Drug Store, Labasa issued a ‘My Chemist’ receipt. To obtain individual prices
of medicines, 11 pharmacies were contacted via telephone by
Council staff. The team was unable to obtain pricing information from Naidu’s Medical Centre in Rakiraki. Furthermore, some
pharmacies which issued receipts with total cost of medicine did
have prices on individual medication packs but only on some of
them. Other packets did not have prices on them. For example
Life Pharmacy in Nadi did not provide prices on the packets of
simvastatin, metformin and frusemide. Some of these pharmacies, for example, Chovhan Pharmacy Ltd, Midway Pharmacy, Ba
did not provide itemised receipts but sold generics at originator
brand price.
2
Table 14: Non-disclosure of individual
medicine prices
PHARMACY
Location/Division
1
A.J.Swann Co Ltd
Suva/Central Eastern
2
Life Pharmacy
Nausori/ Central
Eastern
3
Wyse Pharmacy
Nakasi/ Central
Eastern
4
Chovahan Pharmacy Ltd
Lautoka/Western
5
Midway Pharmacy
Ba/ Western
6
Western Medicare
Pharmacy
Lautoka/ Western
7
Island Pharmacy
Ba/ Western
8
Patel Pharmacy Ltd
Sigatoka/ Western
9
Naidu’s Medical Centre
Rakiraki/Western
10
Health Care Chemist
Tavua/ Western
Issues with Receipts
This research has also highlighted many problems with the receipting procedures of these pharmacies. None
of the 47 pharmacies provided individual medicine names on their receipts however, nineteen (19) provided
itemised receipts using codes. Thirty two (32) pharmacies provided medicine price on their labels. Out of the 32
pharmacies that provided prices on their labels, 15 did not provide itemised receipts.
Three (3) pharmacies did not supply the basic information required by Fiji laws such as the company name, tax
number, and company address and so on. These were Sugar City Pharmacy- Lautoka and Chovhan Pharmacy also
in Lautoka and Patel Pharmacy in Sigatoka. Madison Pharmacy, Suva provided a chit with total price when requested for a receipt by our staff. In the Northern Division, Northern Drug Store, Labasa issued a receipt from “My
Chemist” instead of a receipt specifically for Northern Drug Store. The owners are the same for both Drug Stores.
There were some pharmacies with receipts that had one code such as 005785 Prescription instead of the names
of each medicine. There was no way a consumer could have known how much he/she paid for each medication.
An interesting finding here was that Wyse Pharmacies in Nakasi and Valelevu have the same owner but Valelevu
branch had prices clearly marked on each medication pack whereas the one in Nakasi did not do this. Wyse
Nakasi instead provided a receipt with the total amount. One would assume that the same business would have
similar practices however in this case the practice of pricing was different. Some of the practices used by the
pharmacies in issuing receipts are a breach of Counter Inflation Act (Cap 73)
Pharmacy Trade Practices
22
3
Presence of Pharmacist
A pharmacist is required to check the prescriptions before dispensing medicines. 35 out of 47
pharmacies surveyed did not have a pharmacist
visible within the premises. The Council staff, who
were posing as consumers were either served
by the Pharmacy Assistant or the Sales Assistant. However, a more firm conclusion about the
presence of the pharmacist would have been
possible, if there was a whole day’s surveillance
in each pharmacy. The Council wishes to state
that the onus is on the regulatory authorities to
look into this and to be more vigilant on this issue. FPS should encourage pharmacists to wear
a coat so that the public can identify a pharmacist from other staff. The name of the pharmacist
on duty should be made visible at all times.
4
Queries on prescription
51% of pharmacies under survey made inquiries
on the prescription and the patient, while 49%
dispensed drugs without any further clarification. The two questions posed by the pharmacies were age and the patient’s phone number.
One pharmacy – Hyperchem Pharmacy, Ba requested the address of the patient, while Thakorlal’s Pharmacy Nadi commented that the patient “must be very sick and dying”
It should be noted that the higher number of
queries on the prescription were made by the
pharmacies in the Western Division. This was
probably due to two factors; the prescription
was from a Suva-based doctor and the purchaser was non-Indian when the prescription was for
an elderly Indian man.
5
No
queries
made
No. of
Pharmacies
Queries
made
Central/
Eastern
23
3
13
20
87
DIVISIONS
%
%
Western
21
11
52.4
10
47.6
Northern
3
0
0
3
100
TOTAL
47
24
51
23
49
Choice over generic or originator brand medicines
During our survey, none of the pharmacies asked the buyer whether he/she wanted generics or originator brand
of medicines. The general rule amongst pharmacists is to dispense generic drugs when presented with a hospital
prescription 9. Some pharmacies dispensed originator brand even though generic versions are commonly available. For example, 500mg of generic metformin was available at Budget Pharmacy for at $0.85 while an originator
brand was sold for $7.95 at Namaka Medisure Pharmacy, Nadi which is ten times more.
6 Wrong Name on Medicine Packets
Pharmacy Plus of Suva incorrectly entered the patient’s name on the medicine packs. The purchaser’s name
(Alisi) appeared on the packs instead of the patient’s name (Hari Ram) as per prescription (Case 1). Similarly,
Life Pharmacy in Nadi incorrectly entered the patient’s second name (Ram) and had “Prasad” instead (Case 2).
9 Information provided by our industry expert.
Pharmacy Trade Practices
7
Wrong strength dispensed
One common practice among pharmacies is to dispense the correct medicine but with an incorrect dosage. There
is a general assumption that a pharmacist as a professional would dispense the correct dosage of medication as and
when required. Too little or too much of any medication could have adverse effect on one’s health. There are several
examples of this. Thakorlal’s Pharmacy in Lautoka dispensed 5 mg enalapril as seen on the packet but the label
stated 10mg as per prescription. A consumer unknowingly would have consumed a lower dose which is contrary
to the doctor’s recommendation. Such mistakes can be fatal. This pharmacy also incorrectly stated that the doctor
was from Lautoka Hospital instead of CWM hospital.
Sugar City Pharmacy in Lautoka dispensed 15 amoxicillin capsules when the prescription required a dosage of 9
capsules. The prescription clearly stated no repeats for this particular anti-biotic. In another case Wyse Pharmacy in
Valelevu dispensed 30 tablets of 100mg
Aspirin tablets with instructions on the label to” take one tablet daily after food”. The prescription stated a dosage
150mg aspirin per day for a month.
In other cases, Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Nadi dispensed 28 tablets of 20mg of simvastatin - Crescent rather than 30
tablets of 20mg. Life Pharmacy, Nausori dispensed 40 tablets of 5g of glipizide – Minidiab instead of 30 and Naidu’s
Medical Centre issued 20 tablets of 5mg of glipizide – Minidiab. Rewa Pharmacy – Nausori changed the dose and
dispensed 20/40mg of simvastatin – Arrow instead of 30/20mg.
8
Fraudulent Sale
Three pharmacies were found selling generic medication labelled as originator brand and also charging originator brand price. Thakorlal Pharmacy in Nadi, and Wyse Pharmacy in Nakasi dispensed generic frusemide
tablets Apo but labelled it as Laxis which is an originator brand tablet and also charged the price of Laxis ($4.
65) which is much more expensive than generic Apo ($1.35
23
Pharmacy Trade Practices
24
9
Problems with labels
Nineteen (19) pharmacies violated labelling requirements in one way or another. An apparent
issue with labelling was the directions for use
of the medicine. For example, Life PharmacyNausori had hand written directions on all the
labels of its medication. The problem here was
that these instructions could easily fade through
handling or if it gets wet. A number of pharmacies did not have any directions for the use of
medication on their labels while there were
some which not only had clear directions for
use but also had auxiliary labels with additional
cautionary advice such as “avoid taking alcohol
or grape fruit juice while taking the medication”.
There needs to be a standardisation of practice
in the labelling of labelling medication.
10
Pharmacy located in same building as medical practitioners or near
each other
In Nadi, two pharmacies situated on Lodhia Street are each housed in the same building as medical practitioners. Life Pharmacy is located next door in the same building as Faizal’s Medical Centre. The next building
is Health First Pharmacy housed under the same building as Zen’s Medical Centre. The survey found a $10.08
prescription pack price difference between Life Pharmacy ($22.00) and Health Pharmacy ($32.08). In Suva, the
same goes for Amy Street Pharmacy located within the Suva Private Hospital pharmacy. The issue here is the
restriction of consumer choice as doctors are more likely to recommend these pharmacies to their patients.
Moreover, inpatient and outpatient’s choice on pharmacies can be very limited in this case.
Pharmacy Ownership
Pharmacy Ownership
Pharmacy ownership laws are totally exploited by selected individuals through false information. In some cases
names are lent to operate limited liability companies but
the people whose names are used had migrated as far
back as 1987 or are working for some other organisation
or are non pharmacists. Non pharmacists who appear as
owners must have been given token shares for use of their
names.
Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Act (Cap 115), Section
18 (d) all the share capital of the body corporate is owned
by registered pharmacists. Our company search has found
that there are 9 non-pharmacists who have shares in pharmacies. This does not include others who had migrated.
The Council expects the reasons for including of nonpharmacists are for financial assistance to start the company. However, financial help also amounts to direct interference in the independence of pharmacies and the ability
of a pharmacist to make decisions based on ethics rather
than purely on financial gains. This was evident in the survey where originator brand medicine was dispensed instead of generics which are widely available and the same
brand and quantity sold at exorbitant price. Over charging was evident which is a direct result of interference. It
must be noted that when a few individuals are involved
in a web of cross ownership of pharmacies and subsidiaries, we cannot discount the high probability of cartel-like
behaviour or price fixing.
In one case the company documents of Flagstaff Pharmacy, Metro Pharmacy and Nasese Pharmacy were faxed
25
from the same source where information for Superdrug
Pharmacy, Nabua; Central Pharmacy, Suva; Superdrug
Pharmacy, Suva; and City Centre Pharmacy was faxed.
The ownership of pharmacies by medical practitioners
while illegal under the current laws is also a very worrying
trend as both diagnosis and dispensing can be compromised for maximum profits.
Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority (FIRCA) should
determine through its own investigation s whether companies’ and their shareholders are accurately declaring
their income for tax purposes. There are violations, for example non–pharmacists are shareholders in some cases
and in a few cases the same shareholder(s) own multiple pharmacies according to the Registrar of Companies’
records.
Table16: Pharmacy Ownership
Non-pharmacist
Pharmacy having ownership in
Swadesh Prabha Ram
Sugar City Pharmacy
Virendra Shantilal Patel
Barti Ben
Patel Pharmacy
Hamida Khan
Namaka Medisure
Jone Finiasi
Metro Pharmacy Suva
Jone Finiasi
Nasese Pharmacy Suva
Dr Bijend Ram
Rewa Pharmacy
Kalyan Sunil Kumar
Laucala Bay Pharmacy
Ajay Ram Khelawan
Nausori Pharmacy
“There are certain pharmacy
owners who own more
than two pharmacies, they
would have to either sell or
close down the additional
pharmacies they operate.
”
Dr. Neil Sharma - Minister of Health, Fiji.
Conclusion and Recommendations
26
Conclusion and
Recommendations
“
The Consumer Council of Fiji survey adds credibility to the notion
that some pharmacies are overcharging consumers either by
pricing more expensive brands first or deliberately not informing
consumers of the availability of cheaper generic medicine.
It will be interesting to see what action is taken to ensure
consumers are made aware of their right to proper medication
at a price that is justified and fair.
Editorial comment – Fiji Times (19/11/2010)
The Consumer Council found a majority of those pharmacies surveyed were engaging in profiteering. A consumer
simply trusts the pharmacist, and believes that the prescription issued by the medical doctor will be dispensed
in good faith by the pharmacist. Unfortunately, consumers’
trust in pharmacists for their health care had been violated
by not allowing them the freedom to choose a generic
or an originator brand of medication, not issuing proper
receipts and engaging in fraudulent practices.
The study has indicated that information is not readily
available to patients/consumers (even to the educated citizens) on medicines and prices which they should know.
Due to the lack of such information, consumers are solely
dependent on the local pharmacies/chemists for the information on types, prices, alternatives and other parameters for the selection of medicines. It was also observed
that whatever little communication that exists between
the pharmacists and consumers it often not easily understood.
The survey was done realistically and objectively keeping
in view the importance of the health sector. It should be
reiterated that the role of the pharmaceutical sector is to
conduct business within the laws of the country as well as
keeping the citizens health and well being in mind. Profits
are important for any business but it must not be at the
expense of the innocent patients or consumers. The medical field has advanced so much that this day and age the
main focus globally is access to affordable drugs.
The pharmaceutical sector needs to work with relevant
Government agencies in making the accessibility and affordability of medicines a genuine concern for the well being and health of our citizens.
”
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on these findings, the Council recommends the
following measures be adopted by the Ministry of Health
and other concerned organizations dealing with healthcare issues and ensuring a better dispensing services of
medicines at affordable prices:
1. To acknowledge that there have been breaches and
unfair trade practices by the pharmaceutical sector
and that the enforcement agencies have not been
vigilant;
2. Pharmacy and Poisons Board together with PIB
(Commerce Commission) to prosecute pharmacies
if breaches have occurred. The Council will supply
the dispensed medications as evidence, if required.
This must be done by thoroughly scrutinising all invoices which are less than 3 months of supply date
as purchases would have been made within that time
frame. This must be done urgently because the Council wishes to recover money spent on the purchase of
these medications;
3. The Price Control Order is now some 18 years out of
date thus urgently needs to be reviewed and amended to address Fiji’s increasing cost of health care. PIB
has neither carried out any review of the Price Control
Order on medicines nor has it produced any formal
monitoring report to gauge compliance. PIB/Commerce Commission should play a more active role in
monitoring and enforcing Price Control Orders and
where possible prosecute offending pharmacists;
Conclusion and Recommendations
4. Pharmacy and Poisons Board needs to take a more
proactive role in regulating the industry and its
practices. The governing legislation, Pharmacy and
Poisons Act appears to regulate registration and deregistration of pharmacists under Section 5 and 33
respectively. This law needs to be better enforced. The
Council calls for an urgent review of the Pharmacy
and Poisons Board to make this body effective and efficient in enforcing the laws and in attending to complaints. Membership should include representatives
from enforcement agencies, consumer groups and
NGOs for transparency and effectiveness of the board;
5. The law also establishes the Fiji Pharmaceutical Society (Section 32B). They need to strengthen their code
of ethics and monitor market practices. The society
also needs to undertake regular training and education to up-skill its members and ensure that they
are up to date with the changing role of pharmacists
in the health sector. They should have merit system
whereby certain points are acquired to qualify for annual registration. Registration requirements should
be made clearer in the legislation and should include
what is considered bad marketing practices;
6. A price list of common drugs consumed for common
illnesses should be prominently displayed at pharmacies. PIB/Commerce Commission to list these in a revised price order;
7. The Ministry of Health to impose a strict “Code of Conduct” that must be practised by all pharmacies. The
Code of Conduct has to be a binding document and
any breaches to it should lead to fines or cancellation
of licenses;
8. Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority (FIRCA)
can investigate whether companies and their shareholders are accurately and truthfully declaring their
income for tax purposes. There are violations, for example non–pharmacists are shareholders in some
cases and in a few cases the same shareholder(s) own
multiple pharmacies according to the Registrar of
Companies’ records;
9. FPS to ensure its members wear professional attire
(e.g white coat) so that the public can differentiate
a pharmacist from other pharmacy staff. FSP should
also require that pharmacies display the pharmacist’s
name that is on duty at one particular period of time;
10. FPS, the Ministry of Health and the Consumer Council of Fiji should educate consumers on the different
categories of medicines – generics, branded generics
and originator brands, including labelling information;
11. Pharmacies should display information on the prices
of essential, commonly used drugs. Such information
will assist consumers to compare prices before purchasing medicines;
12. FPS and the Ministry of Health should set up guidelines for dispensing of drugs. Providing consumer
drug information for all parties involved will empower
consumers to make informed decisions thus safeguarding their rights to health and information;
13. The Ministry of Health/Commerce Commission
should also look at the importers and distributors of
pharmaceuticals in Fiji to ensure competition. The
Council’s coverage of this survey did not include this
aspect but this is an important feature which should
be looked at separately by relevant agencies; and
14. The Government to implement the recommendations of the study so as to empower the citizens of Fiji
and rid of any room for manipulation by pharmacies
to protect their health interests.
27
References
28
References
Bailey, M. 2004. Affordability of Medicines in Fiji. http://www.haiweb.org/medicineprices/surveys/200409FJ/survey_report.
pdf
Fiji Bureau of Statistics (2010), Preliminary Report : Poverty and Household Incomes in Fiji in 2008-09.
Fiji Republic Gazette Supplement, No.26, Friday 5th June, 1992; Legal Notice No.69, Counter-Inflation Act (Chapter 73),
Counter-Inflation (Price Control), Ethical Medicine, No.5, Order, 1992.
MedilinePlus online service of the United States National Library of Medicine, From the National Institutes of Health, www.
nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo (Accessed 12 June 2010) – Medicine description and use (Table 1).
Ministry of Health, October 2009. Monitoring of Pharmaceutical Prices in Private Sector.
Ministry of Health, October 2009. Naturopathic Medicine- Retailing in Fiji.
Panapasa G., 2010, ‘Symposium on NCDs’, Fiji Times, 6 July.
Speech of the Ministry for Health, Dr Neil Sharma delivered to members of the Fiji Pharmaceutical Society, Natadola, Nadi,
29th Nov 2009. Www. www.health.gov.fj/speeches/29/11/2009--fiji-pharmaceutical-societynatadola.html (Accessed 15
June 2010)
Response From Pharmacy and Poisons Board
Appendix
Response From Pharmacy and Poisons Board
29
Response From Fiji Pharmaceutical Society
30
Response From Fiji Pharmaceutical Society
Response From Fiji Pharmaceutical Society
31
Pharmacy
A.J. Swann Co
Ltd, Suva
Amy Street Pharmacy
Central Pharmacy, Suva
City Centre
Pharmacy, Suva
No
*1
2
3
4
(India)
$1.25
Microlab
$2.00
Lasix
$4.35
Expiry Date:
10/2012
(India)
$1.20
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
80002
Pure Pharma
$1.95
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
Not Stated
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
G97838
Simcard
$11.55
(Cipla Ltd
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
890
Priloten
$3.75
(Global Pharma
Health Care Pvt Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Apo
$1.71
Expiry Date:
09/08/2011
Batch #
N3219
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Batch #
SAWH0023
Amoxywil
$2.25
(Prawil Laboratories
Ltd
Renitec
$13.35
(Merck Sharp &
Dohme Pty Ltd
Arrow
$11.55
Pure Pharma
$1.95
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Expiry
Date:08/2011
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
80002
India
$1.75
Batch #
890
Batch #
W28001E
Batch #
W05002E
Amoxywil
$1.61
(Prawil Laboratories
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
11/2011
Batch #
STL/801
Priloten
$3.69
(Global Pharma
Health Care Pvt Ltd)
Expiry Date:
12/2012
Winstatin
$3.15
(Windlas
Biotech Ltd)
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Batch #
0002
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab
$3.75
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab
$3.00
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$3.49
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L927B
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Stalmox
$2.45
(Stallion
Laboratories Pvt
Ltd)
Sunapril
$3.25
(Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd)
Arrow
$5.00
Batch #
SAWH0022
30/5mg
Glipizide
9/500mg
Amoxicilllin
30/10mg
Enalapril
30/20mg
Simvastatin
Metofen
$1.38
(Windlas Biotech
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch # 80002
Pure Pharma
$2.00
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
30/500mg
Metformin
$28.26
$38.50
$18.85
$19.40
Total Price
-
-For the medicine packets, prices were only found on Lasix, Enalapril, and
Amoxicillin & Metformin while Aspirin, Simvastatin & Minidiab packets
did not have any price on them.
-Receipt had only total cost of medicine purchased.
-Medicine packets also did not have prices.
-Prices were itemized on the receipt
but medicine names
were not
mentioned to show what the cost of each medicine was.
Comments/Notes
32
(Sanofis
Aventis
Australia Pty
Ltd)
Lasix
$4.65
(India)
$1.36
30/150mg
30/40mg
Lasix
$4.18
Aspirin
Frusemide
Medication
CENTRAL/EASTERN DIVISION
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
Flagstaff
Pharmacy, Suva
Good Health Care Pharmacy,
Suva
Guardian Angel Pharmacy, L/
Beach Nasinu
Holistic Pharmacy, Suva
Laucala Bay Pharmacy, Suva
5
6
7
8
9
Microlab
$1.20
Expiry Date:
10/2012
Batch #
8048826
Lasix
$4.35
(Sanofis
Aventis
Australia Pty
Ltd)
Microlab
$1.95
Lasix
$4.35
Lasix
$4.65
(India)
$1.35
Pure Pharma
$1.05
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
(India)
$0.60
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
80002
Pure Pharma
$1.65
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
80002
Loose Tabs
$1.95
Xmet
$1.95
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
80002
Pure Pharma
$1.95
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
(India)
$0.75
(India)
$1.20
(India)
$1.45
Expiry Date:
09/2012
DHA
$2.25
(Drug Houses of
Australia(Asia) Pte
Ltd, Singapore)
Expiry Date:
03/2011
Generics
$1.71
Priloten
$3.75
(Global Pharma
Health Care Pvt Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Flaminopril
$1.65 (Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2011
Arrow
$4.05
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Batch #
SAWH0025
Arrow
$6.45
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$2.25
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Batch #
1952512
Batch #
W28001E
Batch #
SAWH0022
Invoril
$2.25
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
890
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Batch#
M111A
Expiry Date:
03/2011
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Peemox
$2.25
Pure Pharma Ltd
NA
Expiry Date:
11/2010
Batch #
STL/801
Stalmox
$1.85
(Stallion
Laboratories Pvt
Ltd)
Batch #
M111A
Batch #
90001
Batch #
1952512
Batch #
80456
Minidiab (40)
$4.85
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Peemox
$2.65
(Pure Pharma Ltd)
Invoril
$3.45
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Winstatin
$3.15
(Windlas
Biotech Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2011
Batch #
W28001E
Winstatin
$3.15
(Windlas
Biotech Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
G97838
Simcard
$9.75
(Cipla Ltd)
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
$18.60
$15.15
$15.35
$18.35
$28.75
-For the medicine packets, prices were only found on Enalapril,
Simvastatin, Metformin & Glipizide whereas Aspirin, Frusemide &
Amoxicillin did not have prices on the packets.
-Prices were itemized on the receipt but medicine names were not
mentioned to show what the cost of each medicine was.
Medicine packets had auxiliary labels with additional cautionary advice to
help patients take precautions while on medication.
Quantity of tablets was not mentioned on any of the seven medications.
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
33
Life Pharmacy, Nausori
Madison Pharmacy, Suva
Mega Care Pharmacy, Makoi,
Nasinu
Metro Pharmacy, Suva
Nasese Pharmacy , Suva
*10
11
12
13
14
Microlab
$1.95
Lasix
$4.65
Lasix
$4.35
(India)
$1.95
(India)
$1.35
(India)
$0.60
(India)
$1.00
(India)
$1.50
Expiry Date:
06/2011
NA
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Invoril
$4.05
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Expiry Date:
02/2011
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Batch #
80006
Batch #
G97838
Batch #
KW9G59
Batch #
1952512
Invoril –
$4.05
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Simcard –
$11.55
(Cipla Ltd)
Pharmacor
$3.45
(Pharmacor Ltd)
Minidiab (40)
$4.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Expiry Date:
12/2012
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Peemox
$2.45
(Pure Pharma Ltd)
Batch #
M111A
Batch #
80002
Pure Pharma
$1.95
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
Batch #
0002
Minidiab
$3.75
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L927B
Minidiab
$3.00
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab (40)
$2.50
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Batch #
G97838
Expiry Date:
08/2010
NA
Batch #
PXFB0304
Batch #
1868
Batch #
1952512
Pulmoxyl
$2.45
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
NA
Flaminopril
$3.45
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$1.50
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Sunapril
$1.95
(Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
G97838
Simcard
$9.75
(Cipla Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2011
Batch #
SAWH0019
Arrow
$7.50
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Batch #
SAWH0023
Arrow
$6.00
Simcard
$11.55
(Cipla Ltd)
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
80002
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
Pure Pharma
$1.05
ExpiryDate:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Flamingo
$1.50
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
80002
Pure Pharma
$1.50
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
$29.85
$25.20
$23.25
$19.90
$14.50
-Aspirin packet had no price.
- Receipt had only total cost of medicine purchased.
Did not issue proper receipt, just provided a chit with total price in hand
written when request was made for a receipt by our staff.
-No proper labelling with no mention of pharmacy name, contact etc.
-Labels are hand written.
34
Microlab
$1.00
Mircolab
$1.50
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
Nausori Pharmacy Ltd, Nausori
Pharmacy Plus, Suva
Rewa Pharmacy, Nausori
Samabula Drug
Store,Samabula
Superdrug Pharmacy, Nabua
15
16
17
18
19
Microlab
$1.95
Durin
$1.95
Microlab
$1.95
Apo
$1.95
Microlab
$1.95
(India)
$1.05
(India)
$1.05
(India)
$0.60
(India)
$1.20
(India)
$1.20
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
8002
Pure Pharma
$1.95
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Flamingo
$1.65
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
W05002E
Metofen
$1.95
(Windlas Biotech
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Flamingo
$1.65
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Flamingo
$1.95
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Batch #
M111A
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
0002
Expiry Date:
12/2012
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Minidiab (40)
$4.85
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Batch #
G97838
NA
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
NA
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$3.15
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Sunapril
$1.95
(Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$1.95
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Apo
$1.80
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
890
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Amoxywil
$1.71
(Prawil Laboratories
Ltd)
Apo
$2.45
Apo
$1.71
Priloten
$3.75
(Global Pharma
Health Care Pvt Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$1.95
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry date:
08/11
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$3.45
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Simcard
$11.55
(Cipla Ltd)
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Batch #
SAWH0023
Arrow
$4.05
Expiry Date:
01/2011
Batch #
SAFH0015
Arrow
(20/40mg)
$3.65
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Batch #
SAWH0021
Arrow
$7.95
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
G97838
Simcard
$11.55
(Cipla Ltd)
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
$23.30
$15.90
$13.60
$20.30
$25.26
-Instead of 30Simvastatin tablets only 20 were dispensed and the
direction for use of this medication was wrongly written on the label. The
direction stated ‘take half (1/2) tablet at night (bedtime)’ when in actual
fact the direction should be take one tablet daily.
Had the wrong patient name on the medicine packets. The name of our
purchaser “Alisi” appeared on the medicine packets instead of patients
name (Hari Ram) on the prescription.
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
35
Suva City Pharmacy, Suva
Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi
Wyse Pharmacy, Valelevu
21
*22
23
WESTERN DIVISION
Superdrug Pharmacy, Suva
Expiry Date:
01/2012
Batch #
8050691
Lasix
$4.35
(Sanofis
Aventis
Australia Pty
Ltd)
Microlab
$4.10
Lasix
$4.35
Lasix
$4.65
(India)
$0.60
(India)
(20/300mg)
$2.25
(India)
$1.20
(India)
$1.00
Flaminopril
$1.95
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Arrow
$7.50
Simcard
$11.55
(Cipla Ltd)
Batch #
G87618
Expiry Date:
03/2011
Batch #
80002
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
G97838
Simcard
$11.55
(Cipla Ltd)
Pure Pharma
$1.05
(Pure Pharma Ltd)
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
80002
Pure Pharma
$1.85
(Pure Pharma
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Batch #
1952512
Invoril
$2.25
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Batch #
1952512
Invoril
$4.50
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Expiry Date:
08/2012
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Expiry Date:
12/2012
Batch #
SAWH0007
Batch #
9179
Batch #
G97838
Batch #
A144G
Flamingo
$1.95
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Sunapril
$3.45
(Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd)
Simcard
$11.55
(Cipla Ltd)
Diaformin
$6.15
(Alpha Pharma)
Batch #
L942A
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Minidiab
$3.15
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Batch #
L927B
Batch #
90001
Expiry Date:
03/2011
Peemox
$1.53
(Pure Pharma Ltd)
Expiry Date:
02/2011
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Minidiab (40)
$3.55
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab (40)
$4.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$4.05 (40)
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Peemox
$1.85
(Pure Pharma Ltd)
NA
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
1333
GSK
$7.95
(Glaxao Smith
Kline)
$24.50
$29.65
$21.40
$38.80
-
-Dispensed generic Frusemide tablets APO but labelled it as Laxis which is
a branded tablet & also charged the price of branded Laxis which is much
more expensive than generic APO.
-Wyse Pharmacy in Nakasi & Valelevu has the same owner but Wyse
Pharmacy in Valelevu had prices clearly marked on each medication
packets whereas the one in Nakasi did not do this; instead give a receipt
with total amount only.
Medicine packets had auxiliary labels with additional cautionary advice to
help patients take precautions while on medication.
36
20
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
Budget Pharmacy, Nadi
Care Chemist, Sigatoka
Chandulal’s Pharmacy
Chovhan Pharmacy Ltd,
Lautoka
24
25
26
*27
Microlab
$4.65
Microlab
$1.35
Flamingo
$1.95
Lasix
$4.20
(India)
(20/300mg)
$2.70
(India)
$0.90
Expiry Date:
01/05/2011
Batch #
917701
Cardiprin
(30/100mg)
$4.61
(India)
$0.85
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
80002
Pure Pharma
$2.70
(Pure Pharma Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Flamingo
$1.95
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Flamingo
$1.53
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
W05002E
Metofen
$1.65
(Windlas Biotech
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Batch #
SAWH0023
Arrow
$7.50
Expiry Date:
01/2011
Batch #
SAWH0007
Arrow
$4.05
Expiry Date:
07/2011
Batch #:
SAWH0019
Arrow
$3.28
Expiry Date:
07/2011
Batch #
SAWH0019
Arrow
$2.95
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$5.00
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
M-Enalapril
$4.95
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$3.42
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
890
Priloten
$3.70
(Global Pharma
Health Care Pvt Ltd)
Apo
$4.00
Apo
$3.15
Apo
$2.44
Amoxywil
$1.65
(Prawil Laboratories
Ltd)
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$4.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$3.08
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$3.20
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
$31.00
$19.80
$20.31
$18.00
-Medicine packets also did not have prices.
- Receipt had only total cost of medicine purchased.
-Receipt issued did not have company name, tax number, company
address etc.
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
37
Health Care Chemist, Tavua
Health First Pharmacy, Nadi
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Ba
Hyperchem Pharmacy,
Lautoka
Island Pharmacy Complex,
Nadi
*28
29
30
31
32
Expiry Date:
08/2014
Batch #
HC044
Lasix
$2.85
(Sanofis
Aventis
Pakistan Pty
Ltd)
Lasix
$4.18
Lasix
$4.38
Lasix
$4.63
Microlab
$1.50
Expiry date:
02/2011
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch#
G97838
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #:
100046
Expiry Date:
07/2013
Xmet
$1.65
Batch #
817203
Expiry Date:
01/06/2010
(India)
$1.00
Expiry Date:
02/2012
Batch #
K2044
Actavis
$6.45
(Relon Chem
Ltd)
Simcard
$9.83
(Cipla Ltd)
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Batch #
SAWH0021
Glucophage
$6.73
(Alpha Pharma)
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Flamingo
$1.95
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Arrow
$5.10
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
227
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
G97838
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Simcard
$11.59
(Cipla Ltd)
Batch #
08016
Batch #
224
Flamingo
$1.48
Crescent
(28/20mg)
$18.00
(Crescent
Pharma Ltd)
Flamingo
$1.50
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Solprin
(16/300mg)
$1.25
(India
(30/81mg)
$2.21
(India)
$0.73
(India)
$0.75
Minidiab
$3.15
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Batch #:
L927B
Expiry Date:
07/2012
GSK
$7.20
(Glaxao Smith Kline)
Batch #
1333
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Batch #
9179
Expiry Date:
08/2012
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
L927B
Batch #
1342
Expiry Date:
07/2011
Minidiab
$3.08
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L927B
Minidiab (40)
$4.20
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
GSK
$6.16
(Glaxao Smith Kline)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
PC007
Amoxywil
$2.00
(Prawil Laboratories
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Batch #
1333
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Minidiab
$3.19
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
80456
DHA
$3.00
(Drug Houses of
Australia(Asia) Pte
Ltd, Singapore)
GSK
$7.17
(Glaxao Smith Kline)
Blue-yellow
$2.95
Sunapril
$2.25
(Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd)
Expiry Date:
04/2011
Batch #
N2047
Renitec
$13.01
(Merck Sharp &
Dohme (Australia)
Pty Ltd
Expiry Date:
05/2010
Batch #
106
Flaminopril
$1.73
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$3.29
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Flaminopril
$3.00
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
$24.55
$44.25
$21.55
$32.08
$30.70
-
-Medicine packets also did not have prices.
-Prices were itemized on the receipt but medicine names were not
mentioned to show what the cost of each medicine was.
-Medicine packets also did not have prices.
- Receipt had only total cost of medicine purchased.
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
38
Island Pharmacy, Ba
Life Pharmacy Ltd, Nadi
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
MS Pharmacy, Nadi
Nadi Chemist, Nadi
*33
34
*35
36
37
Microlab
$0.83
Expiry Date:
10/2012
Batch #
8048826
Lasix
$4.18
(Sanofis
Aventis
Australia Pty
Ltd)
Microlab
$4.65
Lasix
$4.00
Microlab
$2.50
(India)
$0.73
(India)
$0.90
(India)
$2.70
(India)
$0.73
(India)
$1.50
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #:
227
Flamingo
$1.48
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
10/2012
Batch #
A633F
Diaformin
$6.00
(Alpha Pharma)
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Flamingo
$2.70
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date
:07/2013
Batch #
100046
Glucophage
$6.70
(Alpha Pharma)
Xmet
$2.00
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Batch #:
SAWH0023
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Flaminopril
$1.73
Arrow
$3.08
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
890
Batch #
W28001E
Expiry Date:
09/2011
Priloten
$3.70
(Global Pharma
Health Care Pvt Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2010
Batch #
106
Flaminopril
$5.00
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$1.73
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
12/2012
Batch #
0002
Sunapril
$3.00
(Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd)
Winstatin
$3.45
(Windlas
Biotech Ltd)
Expiry Date:
10/2011
Batch #
SAWH0021
Arrow
$7.50
Expiry Date:
07/2011
Batch #
SAWH0019
Arrow
$4.05
Expiry date:
02/2011
Batch #
08016
Crescent
$9.00
(Crescent
Pharma Ltd)
Apo
$2.11
GSK
$3.60
(Glaxao Smith Kline)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
PC007
Amoxywil
$4.00
(Prawil Laboratories
Ltd)
Apo
$1.67
Expiry Date:
11/2010
Batch #
STL/801
Stalmox
$7.00
(Stallion Laboratories
Pty Ltd)
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
DHA
$3.49
(Drug Houses of
Australia(Asia) Pte
Ltd, Singapore)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch#:
M111A
Minidiab
$3.50
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
80456
DHA
$4.45
(Drug Houses of
Australia(Asia) Pte
Ltd, Singapore)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch#
M111A
Minidiab
$3.12
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
ExpiryDate:
07/2012
Batch #
L927B
Minidiab
$3.50
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
$13.45
$25.35
$18.00
$22.00
$28.50
-Medicine packets also did not have prices
- Receipt had only total cost of medicine purchased.
-
Wrong name on the label. ‘Hari Prasad’ instead of ‘Hari Ram’.
- Receipt had only total cost of medicine purchased.
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
39
Naidu’s Medical Centre
Namaka Medisure Pharmacy,
Nadi
Patel Pharmacy Ltd, Sigatoka
Sugar City Pharmacy Ltd,
Lautoka
*38
39
*40
41
(India) (30)
$1.45
$1.65
$1.00
Microlab
(India)
$1.50
$1.45
Microlab
$2.55
(India)
(25/300mg)
No Price
No Price
Apo
(India)
Apo
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Expiry
Date:09/2010
Batch # 201
Expiry
Date:10/2011
SAWH0023
Batch #
(15)
$3.15
$3.45
Apo
M-Enalapril
Pulmoxyl
$3.70
(Microlabs Ltd)
$5.85
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
1868
Flaminopril
$4.00
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Batch #
2002564
Batch #
1952512
Arrow
Expiry
Date:10/2011
SAWH0021
Batch #
$15.00
Arrow
Expiry Date:
03/2011
Batch #
G87618
Rambaxy
$5.40
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Expiry Date:
03/2011
Batch #
90001
Peemox (20)
No Price
(Pure Pharma Ltd)
Invoril
$4.05
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Batch #
1952512
Invoril
No Price
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Minidiab
$4.05
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab
$3.50
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
01/2012
Batch #
K841A
No Price
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Minidiab
(20)
$21.55
$30.50
$31.00
$30.50
- Dispensed 15 Amoxicillin capsules when prescription stated a dose of
9capsules. Overdose of medicine.
-Receipt issued did not have company name, tax number, company
address etc.
-Medicine packets also did not have prices
- Receipt had only total cost of medicine purchased.
-Receipt issued did not have company name, tax number, company
address etc.
-Medicine packets also did not have prices
- Receipt had only total cost of medicine purchased.
40
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
$1.95
Flamingo
Expiry
Date:05/2011
Batch # :227
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
$1.80
Flamingo
Expiry Date:
05/2013
Batch #
102655
Simcard
$9.45
(Cipla Ltd)
Batch #
G97838
Batch #
80002
Glucophage
$7.95
(Lipha
Pharmaceuticals)
Simcard
No Price
(Cipla Ltd)
Pure Pharma
No Price
(Pure Pharma Ltd)
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Nadi
Western Medicare Pharmacy,
Ba
43
*44
45
My Chemist, Labasa
NORTHERN DIVISION
Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Lautoka
42
Microlab
$1.95
Microlab
$4.50
Apo
$4.65
Expiry Date:
10/2012
Batch #:
8048862
Lasix
$4.63
(Sanofis
Aventis
Australia Pty
Ltd)
(India)
$0.75
(India) (30)
$2.00
(India) (3)
$1.45
(India)
$1.06
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #
227
Flamingo
$1.95
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
A462D
Expiry Date:
07/2011
Batch#
SAWH0019
Arrow
$9.45
Expiry Date:
09/2011
Batch #
W28001E
Winstantin
$10.00
(Windlas
Biotech Ltd)
Batch #
G97838
Batch #
KW9G59
Diaformin
$6.00
(Alpha Pharma)
Simcard
$9.75
(Cipla Ltd)
Expiry Date:
02/2011
Batch #
08016
Crescent
(28)
$5.85
(Crescent
Pharma Ltd)
Pure Pharma
$3.45
(Pharmacor Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2012
Batch #
196D
Diaformin
$6.10
(Alpha Pharma)
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Batch#
1952512
Invoril
$4.05
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Expiry Date:
04/2011
Batch #
N2047
Renitec
$9.00
(Merch Sharp &
Dohme (Australia)
Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2011
Batch #
N3219
Rentic
$13.05
(Merch Sharp &
Dohme (Australia)
Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
11/2012
Batch#
9217
Sunapril
(5mg)
$2.07
(Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd)
Batch #
L942A
Expiry Date:
06/2011
Apo
$1.80
Batch #
1333
GSK
$5.85
(Glaxao Smith Kline)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
$3.15
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Minidiab (30)
Expiry Date:
09/2012
Batch #
M111A
Batch #
DT9327
Expiry Date:
02/2011
Minidiab (40)
$4.05
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Novamox-LB
$3.69
(Cipla Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Minidiab
$3.22
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
GSK
$7.24
(Glaxo Smith Kline)
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
$23.40
$40.50
$40.10
$30.17
-Medicine packets also did not have prices
- Receipt had only total cost of medicine purchased.
-Dispensed generic Frusemide tablets APO but labelled it as Laxis which is
a branded tablet & also charged the price of branded Laxis which is much
more expensive than generic APO.
-Under dose of medicine. Dispensed 5mg of Enalapril given once daily
instead of the prescribed 10mg.
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
41
Northern Drug Store, Labasa
47
Apo
$4.65
Apo
$1.35
NB: *Pharmacies that were called for medicine prices
Nasea Chemist, Labasa
46
(India)
$0.75
(India)
$0.75
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #:
227
Flamingo
$1.35
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
05/2011
Batch #:
227
Flamingo
$1.35
(Flamingo
Pharmaceuticals
Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2011
Batch#
SAWH0019
Arrow
$9.45
Expiry Date:
07/2011
Batch #
SAWH0019
Arrow
$9.45
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Batch #
1952512
Invoril
$4.05
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Expiry Date:
08/2010
Batch #
1952512
Invoril
$3.45
(Ranbaxy
Laboratories Ltd)
Apo
$1.80
Apo
$1.71
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments (continued).
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch#:
L942A
Minidiab
$3.45
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
Expiry Date:
07/2012
Batch #
L942A
Minidiab
$3.75
(Pfizer Pty Ltd)
$25.50
$21.80
Issuing same receipt as
My Chemist.
Individual Medicine Prices & Comments
42
Batch No
90001
90001
STL/801
STL/801
STL/801
1333
1333
Manufacturer
(Pure Pharma Ltd, India)
(Pure Pharma Ltd, India)
(Stallion Laboratories Pvt Ltd, India)
(Stallion Laboratories Pvt Ltd, India)
(Stallion Laboratories Pvt Ltd, India)
(Glaxao Smith Kline Australia Pty Ltd)
(Glaxao Smith Kline, Australia Pty Ltd)
Holistic Pharmacy, Suva
Laucala Bay Pharmacy, Suva
Life Pharmacy, Nausori
Madison Pharmacy, Suva
Pharmacy Plus, Suva
Samabula Drug Store,Samabula
Suva City Pharmacy, Suva
Care Chemist, Sigatoka
Chovhan Pharmacy Ltd, Lautoka
Health Care Chemist, Tavua
Health First Pharmacy, Nadi
Life Pharmacy Ltd, Nadi
Nadi Chemist, Nadi
Nausori Pharmacy Ltd
Patel Pharmacy Ltd, Sigatoka
Invoril Enalapril – 30/10mg
Flaminopril Enalapril – 30/10mg
ENALAPRIL
Flaminopril $1.65
Flaminopril $2.25
Flaminopril $1.50
Flaminopril $3.45
Flaminopril $1.95
Flaminopril $1.95
Flaminopril $1.95
Flaminopril $3.42
Flaminopril $5.00
Flaminopril $3.00
Flaminopril $3.29
Flaminopril $1.73
Flaminopril $1.73
Flaminopril $3.45
Flaminopril $4.00
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
(Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
(Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
(Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
(Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
(Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
(Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
(Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
1868
06/2011
06/2011
11/2010
11/2010
11/2010
03/2011
03/2011
Expiry Date
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
08/2011
** ASPIRIN – No comparisons aspirin tablets were loose tablets whereby there were no manufacturer name, batch number and expiry dates given.
Pharmacy Name
Medicine/Drug Name
AMOXICILLIN
Peemox Amoxicillin, same #, source country, 10/500mg
Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi
Peemox $1.85
Flagstaff Pharmacy, Suva
Peemox $2.65
Stalmox Amoxicillin, same #, source country 10/500mg
A.J. Swann Co Ltd, Suva
Stalmox $2.45
Guardian Angel Pharmacy, L/Beach
Stalmox $1.85
Island Pharmacy, Ba
Stalmox $7.00
GSK Amoxicillin 9/500mg
Health First Pharmacy, Nadi
GSK $7.17
Island Pharmacy Complex, Nadi
GSK $7.20
Highest t price of Flaminopril enalapril (1868) was $5.00 recorded in the West at Chovhan Pharmacy Lautoka, while lowest
prices of $1.50 was recorded at Life Pharmacy Nausori. Price difference – 233%. Same price of $1.95 offered by Pharmacy
Plus, Samabula Drug Store and Suva City Pharmacy. Life Pharmacy, Nadi and Nadi Chemist also had the same price of $1.73.
A small price difference of $0.03 between Health First and Island Pharmacy, Nadi.
Guardian Angel Pharmacy, Suva sold Stalmox amoxicillin for $1.85 while Island Pharmacy, Ba sold the same for $7.00, a
difference of $5.15 or 278%.
Flagstaff Pharmacy, Suva sells it for $2.65 while Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi for $1.85, a difference of $0.80
Comments
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country.
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country
43
Priloten $3.69
Priloten $3.75
Priloten $3.75
Priloten $3.75
Sunapril $3.25
Sunapril $1.95
Sunapril $1.95
Renitec $13.01
Renitec $9.00
Flaminopril $1.73
Flaminopril $5.00
Amy Street Pharmacy
City Centre Pharmacy, Suva
Good Health Care Pharmacy, Suva
Rewa Pharmacy, Nausori
Sunapril Enalapril 30/10mg
A.J. Swann Co Ltd, Suva
Metro Pharmacy, Suva
Superdrug Pharmacy, Nabua
Renitec Enalapril 30/10mg
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Lautoka
Western Medicare Pharmacy, Ba
Flaminopril Enalapril 30/10gm
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Ba
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
GLIPIZIDE
Wyse Pharmacy, Valelevu
Holistic Pharmacy, Suva
Lasix $4.35
Lasix $4.65
Lasix $4.35
Priloten $3.70
MS Pharmacy, Nadi
FRUSEMIDE
Lasix Frusemide 30/40mg
Central Pharmacy, Suva
Priloten $3.70
Budget Pharmacy, Nadi
Priloten Enalapril – 30/10mg
Invoril $3.45
Invoril $2.25
Invoril $4.05
Invoril $4.50
Invoril $2.25
Invoril $4.05
Invoril $4.05
Invoril $3.45
Invoril $4.05
Sanofis Aventis Australia Pty Ltd
Sanofis Aventis Australia Pty Ltd
8050691
8048826
Not Stated
890
(Global Pharma Health Care Pvt Ltd,
India)
Sanofis Aventis Australia Pty Ltd
890
106
106
(Global Pharma Health Care Pvt Ltd,
India)
(Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
(Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India)
N2047
(Merch Sharp & Dohme (Australia)
Pty Ltd)
890
Global Pharma Health Care Pvt Ltd,
India
N2047
890
Global Pharma Health Care Pvt Ltd,
India
(Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia)
Pty Ltd
890
Global Pharma Health Care Pvt Ltd,
India
0002
0002
0002
890
Global Pharma Health Care Pvt Ltd,
India
Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd, India
Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd, India
Suvik Hitek Pvt Ltd, India
1952512
1952512
1952512
1952512
1952512
1952512
1952512
1952512
1952512
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India
(Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India
(Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India
(Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India
01/2012
10/2012
10/2012
09/2012
09/2012
05/2010
05/2010
04/2011
04/2011
12/2012
12/2012
12/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
08/2010
08/2010
08/2010
08/2010
08/2010
08/2010
08/2010
08/2010
08/2010
Three pharmacies in Suva sold Lasix from the same manufacturer. Central Pharmacy Suva did not have the batch number
visible, however comparing the medicine on basis of “same manufacture” is sufficient. Central Pharmacy’s price ($4.65) was
just 6.9% higher than Holistic Suva and Wyse Valelevu.
Same price of $3.70 charged by the two pharmacies for Priloten enalapril.
Midway Pharmacy Ba sold Flaminopril enalapril (Flamingo Pharmaceuticals, India) for $5.00 while Hyperchem Ba sold the
same for just $1.73.Consumers would easily be paying 189% more for this medicine if they did not check the pricing in
these outlets which are within walking distance of each other.
Hyperchem Lautoka and Western Medicare Ba , Lautoka sold Renitec enalapril by the same manufacturer and having the
same batch number. Hyperchem ($13.01) was 45% more expensive than Western Medicare ($9.00)
AJ Swann’s price for Sunapril Enalapril (0002) was $3.25 which was 66% more expensive than the other two pharmacies
selling the same – Metro Pharmacy Suva & Superdrug Nabua - $1.95.
Priloten enalapril of the same batch number was sold by 4 pharmacies, all from the Central/Eastern Division. Amy Street
Pharmacy sold Priloten enalapril for $3.69, a mere $0.06 lower than the other three selling the same medicine.
Nine (9) pharmacies sold Invoril enalapril from Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, India. The medicine bore the same batch number
1952512 and expiry date of 08/2010. The highest price was recorded by Wyse Pharmacy Nakasi at $4.50 and interestingly
Wyse Valelevu has the lowest price of $2.25. The price difference between the two Wyse branches for the same medicine
is a 100%. Guardian Angel pharmacy also sold it at the lowest price of $2.25. In the Northern Division, Nasea Chemist sold
Invoril enalapril for $3.45 while the other 2 pharmacies for $4.05, a price difference of $0.60.
44
Flagstaff Pharmacy, Suva
Guardian Angel Pharmacy, L/Beach Nasinu
Mega Care Pharmacy, Makoi, Nasinu
Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi
Wyse Pharmacy, Valelevu
Nasese Pharmacy , Suva
My Chemist, Labasa
Nasea Chemist, Labasa
Northern Drug Store, Labasa
Priloten Enalapril – 30/10mg
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country (continued).
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country
Minidiab Glipizide 30/5mg – same batch #
A.J. Swann Co Ltd, Suva
Madison Pharmacy, Suva
Wyse Pharmacy, Valelevu
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Lautoka
Island Pharmacy Complex, Nadi
Island Pharmacy, Ba
Minidiab Glipizide 30/5mg – same batch #
Central Pharmacy, Suva
City Centre Pharmacy, Suva
Guardian Angel Pharmacy, L/Beach
Chandulal’s Pharmacy
Namaka Medisure Pharmacy, Nadi
Patel Pharmacy Ltd, Sigatoka
Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Lautoka
My Chemist, Labasa
Nasea Chemist, Labasa
Northern Drug Store, Labasa
Minidiab Glipizide 30/5mg – same batch #
Amy Street Pharmacy
Holistic Pharmacy, Suva
Laucala Bay Pharmacy, Suva
Mega Care Pharmacy, Makoi, Nasinu
Metro Pharmacy, Suva
Nausori Pharmacy Ltd, Nausori
Pharmacy Plus, Suva
Budget Pharmacy, Nadi
Care Chemist, Sigatoka
Chovhan Pharmacy Ltd, Lautoka
Life Pharmacy Ltd, Nadi
MS Pharmacy, Nadi
Sugar City Pharmacy Ltd, Lautoka
Health First Pharmacy, Nadi
Western Medicare Pharmacy, Ba
Minidiab Glipizide 40/5mg – same batch #
Superdrug Pharmacy, Suva
Flagstaff Pharmacy, Suva
Nasese Pharmacy , Suva
Superdrug Pharmacy, Nabua
Suva City Pharmacy, Suva
Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Nadi
DHA Minidiab Glipizide 30/5mg
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pte Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pte Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pte Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pte Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pte Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pte Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd)
(Pfizer Australia Pte Ltd)
Minidiab $3.45
Minidiab $3.00
Minidiab $3.15
Minidiab $3.08
Minidiab $3.15
Minidiab $3.50
Minidiab $3.00
Minidiab $3.75
Minidiab $3.45
Minidiab$3.45
Minidiab $3.45
Minidiab $3.50
Minidiab $3.22
Minidiab $3.45
Minidiab $3.75
Minidiab $3.45
Minidiab $3.49
Minidiab $3.45
Minidiab $3.45
Minidiab $3.45
Minidiab $3.75
Minidiab $3.45
Minidiab $3.15
Minidiab$3.20
Minidiab$3.08
Minidiab$4.45
Minidiab$3.12
Minidiab$3.50
Minidiab$4.05
Minidiab$3.19
Minidiab$3.15
Minidiab $4.05
Minidiab $4.85
Minidiab $4.45
Minidiab $4.85
Minidiab $4.45
Minidiab$4.05
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
M111A
L942A
L942A
L942A
L942A
L942A
L942A
L942A
L942A
L942A
L942A
L927B
L927B
L927B
L927B
L927B
L927B
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
09/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
07/2012
Superdrug, Flagstaff, Nasese, Superdrug Nabua and Suva City Pharmacy sold same batch Minidiab glipizide at 40/5mg.
The highest price in this group was charged by Flagstaff Pharmacy and Superdrug Nabua at $4.85, while Superdrug Suva
charged $0.80 less at $4.05 than its Nabua branch.
Holistic Suva, Laucala Bay Pharmacy, Mega Care Makoi and Nausory Pharmacy all sold Minidiab glipizide (M111A) at
$3.45. The two Lautoka pharmacies – Chovhan and Sugar City Pharmacy sold the medicine for prices above $4.00.
Highest price of $4.45 recorded Chovhan Pharmacy Lautoka, while the cheapest was sold by Care Chemist Sigatoka for
$3.08, price difference being 44.5%.
Ten pharmacies dispensed the same Minidiab batch L942A. The highest price recorded was $3.75 by City Centre
Pharmacy Suva and Nasea Chemist Labasa, while the lowest was sold by Central Pharmacy Suva for $3.00. The price
difference was $0.75 or 25%. (Note: Life Pharmacy Nausori sold the same batch medicine but higher dosage of 40/5mg
for $2.50)
Six pharmacies dispensed the same Minidiab batch (L927B), three each in the Central/Eastern and Western divisions.
The highest price was recorded at Island Pharmacy Ba ($3.50) while the cheapest was sold by Madison Suva ($3.00). The
price difference between the highest and lowest price was 16.6%.
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country (continued).
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country
45
DHA $4.45
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
SIMVASTATIN
Arrow Simvastatin, same batch# 30/20mg
METFORMIN
Metofen Metformin 30/500mg
Amy Street Pharmacy
Metofen$1.38
Rewa Pharmacy, Nausori
Metofen$1.95
Flamingo Metformin same batch#, source country 30/500mg
Madison Pharmacy, Suva
Flamingo $1.50
Nausori Pharmacy Ltd, Nausori
Flamingo $1.95
Pharmacy Plus, Suva
Flamingo $1.65
Samabula Drug Store, Samabula
Flamingo $1.65
Suva City Pharmacy, Suva
Flamingo $1.95
Care Chemist, Sigatoka
Flamingo $1.53
Chandulal’s Pharmacy, Lautoka
Flamingo $1.95
Health First Pharmacy, Nadi
Flamingo $1.48
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Ba
Flamingo $1.95
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
Flamingo $2.70
Nadi Chemist, Nadi
Flamingo $1.48
Patel Pharmacy Ltd, Sigatoka
Flamingo $1.80
Flamingo Metformin, same batch#, source country 15/300mg
My Chemist, Labasa
Flamingo $1.95
Nasea Chemist, Labasa
Flamingo $1.35
Northern Drug Store, Labasa
Flamingo$1.35
Pure Pharma Metformin 30/500mg, same batch
A.J. Swann Co Ltd, Suva
Pure Pharma $2.00
Central Pharmacy, Suva
Pure Pharma $1.95
City Centre Pharmacy, Suva
Pure Pharma $1.95
Flagstaff Pharmacy, Suva
Pure Pharma $1.95
Holistic Pharmacy, Suva
Pure Pharma $1.05
Laucala Bay Pharmacy, Suva
Pure Pharma $1.65
Life Pharmacy, Nausori
Pure Pharma $1.50
Mega Care Pharmacy, Makoi, Nasinu
Pure Pharma $1.05
Metro Pharmacy, Suva
Pure Pharma $1.95
Super Drug Pharmacy, Nabua
Pure Pharma $1.95
Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi
Pure Pharma $1.85
Wyse Pharmacy, Valelevu
Pure Pharma $1.05
Glucophage Metformin, same batch#, source country 30/500mg
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Lautoka
Glucophage $6.73
Life Pharmacy Ltd, Nadi
Glucophage $6.70
DHA $3.00
W05002E
W05002E
227
227
227
227
227
227
227
227
227
227
227
227
227
227
227
80002
80002
80002
80002
80002
80002
80002
80002
80002
80002
80002
80002
100046
100046
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Flamingo Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd,India
Pure Pharma Ltd,India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Pure Pharma Ltd, India
Alpha Pharm, Australia
Alpha Pharm, Australia
80456
80456
Windlas Biotech Ltd,India
Windlas Biotech Ltd, India
(Drug Houses of Australia(Asia) Pte
Ltd, Singapore)
Drug Houses of Australia (Asia) Pty
Limited, Singapore
07/2013
07/2013
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
06/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
05/2011
08/2011
08/2011
05/2012
05/2012
Same manufacturer, batch # & expiry date. Difference of $0.03.
AJ Swann Suva sold the most expensive at $2.00 while the cheapest was found at Mega Care Pharmacy Makoi,
Holistic Pharmacy, Suva and Wyse Pharmacy Valelevu ($1.05). Price difference between cheapest and most
expensive – 94%.
The three Northern pharmacies dispensed 15/300mg of the same metformin. My Chemist was the highest priced
$1.95 while the other two charged for $1.35, a $0.60 difference (44%)
Midway Pharmacy sold the most expensive at $2.70, while Health First Pharmacy Nadi and Nadi Chemist were the
cheapest at $1.48. Price difference between cheapest and most expensive price – 82%. The most common price
was $1.95 charged by five pharmacies – Nausori Pharmacy, Suva City Pharm., Chadulal and Hyperchem Ba.
Price difference of $0.57 or 41%.
Price difference of $1.45 for DHA Minidiab glipizide sold by these two pharmacies. Midway Ba sold it at 48% higher than
Health Care Chemist Tavua.
46
Health Care Chemist, Tavua
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country (continued).
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country
Health Care Chemist, Tavua
Thakor Lal Pharmacy, Lautoka
Island Pharmacy, Ba (30/20mg)
Crescent, Simvastitin same #, source country 28/20mg
Crescent $18.00
Crescent $5.85
Crescent $9.00
Life Pharmacy, Nausori
Arrow $6.00
Samabula Drug Store,Samabula
Arrow $4.05
Chovhan Pharmacy Ltd, Lautoka
Arrow $7.50
Central Pharmacy, Suva
Arrow $11.55
Nadi Chemist, Nadi
Arrow $3.08
Sugar City Pharmacy Ltd, Lautoka
Arrow $5.85
Simcard Simvastatin, same #, source country, 30/20mg
City Centre Pharmacy, Suva
Simcard $11.55
Flagstaff Pharmacy, Suva
Simcard $9.75
Mega Care Pharmacy, Makoi, Nasinu
Simcard $9.75
Metro Pharmacy, Suva
Simcard $11.55
Nausori Pharmacy Ltd, Nausori
Simcard $11.55
Superdrug Pharmacy, Nabua
Simcard $11.55
Superdrug Pharmacy, Suva
Simcard $11.55
Wyse Pharmacy, Nakasi
Simcard $11.55
Health First Pharmacy, Nadi
Simcard $11.59
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Lautoka
Simcard $9.83
Thakorlal’s Pharmacy, Nadi
Simcard $9.75
Winstatin Simvastatin, same #, source country 30/20mg
Good Health Care Pharmacy, Suva
Winstatin $3.15
Guardian Angel Pharmacy, L/Beach Nasinu
Winstatin $3.15
Western Medicare Pharmacy, Ba
Winstantin $10.00
MS Pharmacy, Nadi
Winstatin $3.45
Arrow Simvastatin, same #, 30/20mg
Budget Pharmacy, Nadi
Arrow $2.95
Care Chemist, Sigatoka
Arrow $3.28
Life Pharmacy Ltd, Nadi
Arrow $4.05
My Chemist, Labasa
Arrow $9.45
Nasea Chemist, Labasa
Arrow $9.45
Northern Drug Store, Labasa
Arrow $9.45
Arrow Simvastatin, same #, 30/20mg
Hyperchem Pharmacy, Ba
Arrow $5.10
Midway Pharmacy, Ba
Arrow $7.50
Patel Pharmacy Ltd, Sigatoka
Arrow $15.00
Winstatin Simvastatin, same #, 30/20mg
W28001E
W28001E
W28001E
W28001E
SAWH0019
SAWH0019
SAWH0019
SAWH0019
SAWH0019
SAWH0019
SAWH0021
SAWH0021
SAWH0021
Windlas Biotech Ltd, India
Windlas Biotech Ltd, India
Windlas Biotech Ltd, India
Windlas Biotech Ltd, India
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
08016
08016
08016
G97838
G97838
G97838
G97838
G97838
G97838
G97838
G97838
G97838
G97838
G97838
Cipla Ltd, India
Cipla Ltd, India
Cipla Ltd, India
Cipla Ltd, India
Cipla Ltd, India
(Cipla Ltd, India)
Cipla Ltd, India
Cipla Ltd, India
Cipla Ltd, India
Cipla Ltd, India
Cipla Ltd, India
Crescent Pharma Ltd
Crescent Pharma Ltd
Crescent Pharma Ltd
SAWH0023
SAWH0023
SAWH0023
SAWH0023
SAWH0023
SAWH0023
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
NOT STATED
02/2012
02/2012
02/2012
10/2011
10/2011
10/2011
07/2011
07/2011
07/2011
07/2011
07/2011
07/11
09/2011
09/2011
09/2011
09/2011
05/2010
05/2010
05/2012
05/2012
05/2012
05/2012
05/2012
05/2012
05/2012
05/2012
05/2012
10/2011
10/2011
10/2011
10/2011
10/2011
10/2011
Crescent was sold by Thakorlal Pharmacy, Lautoka; $5.85 while Health Care Chemist, Tavua charged $18.00. This is
a price difference of 207%.
Patel Pharmacy Sigatoka charged 194% more than Hyperchem Ba Arrow simvastatin (SAWH0021)
Highest price recorded in the three Labasa pharmacies at $9.45. Budget Pharmacy Nadi had the cheapest price of
$2.95. The three northern pharmacies have charged 220% more than the cheapest Arrow Simvastatin purchased.
Winstatin was sold by Amy Street Pharmacy; Good Health Care, Suva; Guardian Angel, L/Beach for $3.15 while
Western Medicare Ltd charged $10.00. This is a price difference of 217%, which is three times more than what a
consumer would pay for in Suva.
Eleven (11) pharmacies sold Simcard simvastatin (#G97838), with 6 of them selling it at $11.55. The highest
price was at Health First Pharmacy Nadi for $11.59 while Flagstaff, Mega Care Makoi and Thakorlal’s Nadi sold the
cheapest ($9.75). Price difference between lowes/highest – 19%.
Highest price charged by Central Pharmacy, Suva at $11.55, cheapest at Nadi Chemist $3.08. Price difference –
275%
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country (continued).
Price Comparisons: Same medicine, batch number, manufacturer/source country
47
48
Notes