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Medicine prices doing the high jump
While a few domestic pharmaceutical companies have announced price decreases of 34%, many other domestic companies have announced price increases. Foreign companies have followed the latter.
Medicine prices skyrocket
A lot of customers were exceedingly astonished when receiving a notice from Cap Huu Anh, Director of Roussel Vietnam, about the company’s tentative medicine price adjustment.
As of October 24, Roussel Vietnam will apply new price levels for eight medicine items, increases of 5-10%. Some items will see price increases of 50%.
Claforan 1g, which is being sold at VND45,000/pot, will sell for VND49,000; Coltramyl 4mg, now at VND21,000/12 tablets, will jump to VND31,500; Di-Antal vic, selling at VND24,000/20 tablets, will go to VND27,000.
Other pharmaceutical companies, including Servier and Roche, have also raised medicine prices sharply. Pegasys, which treats viral hepatitis, manufactured by Roche, was previously sold at VND3.7mil/pot, while it is now selling at VND4.2mil.
Another product by Roche, Xenical, previously sold at VND13,500/pot, is now selling at VND14,500/pot, while Roferon-A is now selling at VND400,000, instead of VND350,000.
A quick survey by reporters of pharmaceutical shops on Hoa Hao street near Medic Centre in district 10, HCM City, and big medicine distribution centres showed that Vastarel, Coversul or Natrilix SK, Duxil manufacturered by Servier have increased by 3-5% in prices.
Patients weep
A lot of patients who are being treated at the HCM City Medicine and Pharmacy University’s Hospital on October 21 told reporters that they have been hurting for the last month because of the sharp increase of Pegasys, the medicine of Roche.
Doctors at the hospital say that on average, every patient needs to use four pots a month, which means that with the sharp price increase of VND400,000/pot, every patient will have to pay around $100 more per month.
Nguyen Thi Bong, 58, a patient from Lai Vung district, Dong Thap province, said that she bought Pegasys at VND3.7mil/pot last month, but the price has unexpectedly soared to VND4.1mil. Bong said that she has decided to use Schering Plough’s Pegintron instead, which is selling at VND3.9mil.
Bong said that a lot of poor patients like her are miserable because of the price increases.
Pharmaceutical traders in HCM City said that it seems to be abnormal to see medicine prices increase at this moment, when crude oil prices are on the decrease, the dollar price has been stabilized, and input material prices are stable.
Nguyen Van Vinh, Head of the Pharmacy Management Division under the HCM City Health Care Department, said that the department has received a notice about the price adjustment of eight items from Roussel Vietnam.
“The company said it was raising prices to make them fit the price levels it registered at the management agency before,” Vinh said.
Meanwhile, four domestic companies, Hau Giang Pharmaceutical Company, Vidiphar, Vien Dong Pharmacy and September 2 Pharmacy, have announced price decreases of 14-34% on 10 items.
VNN
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