After the pharmacies, strongly contested by Codacons for the strike implemented yesterday, it is the turn of the pharmaceutical companies.
In fact, a year ago the association presented a criminal complaint, reporting the enormous price differences on some drugs between Italy and European countries. Just to give a few examples, Daflon costs 14 euros in Italy, against 7 in France, Aspirin costs 3.95 euros while in Paris it can be bought for 2.91 euros, powdered milk in Italy cost (at the time of the complaint) between 36 and 45 euros, while in the rest of Europe it is sold at prices ranging between 15 and 20 euros, a pack of Tachipirina tablets costs 4.50 euros in Italy, France 2.75, for the Vaxi-grip flu vaccine the Italian price is 11.90, the French one 6.28, the Pevaryl cream 3.54 euros the price for the French, around 8 euros here in Italy.
Codacons claimed in its exposition
“The cause of the aforementioned indiscriminate and unjust increase in the prices of medicines, even essential ones, would lie in the cartel that the pharmaceutical companies would have set up…. The truthfulness of the above, if necessary, is confirmed by the Antitrust Authority itself which has opened a file relating to the Italian branches of the thirteen main global pharmaceutical industries which, as emerges from the investigation documents, have built a maxi-cartel to divide up the entire drug market in the public structures of nineteen cities (including Rome, Naples, Bologna, Turin and Cagliari)."
On the basis of these data, the Public Prosecutor of Cuneo has opened an investigation to clarify the causes that lead the same drug to cost much more in Italy than abroad.
Meanwhile, the boycott of pharmacies called today by Codacons has seen more than 40% adherence from citizens (with peaks higher than 50% in the south) with users who abstained from buying medicines or turned instead to municipal pharmacies, as a sign of protest against the position of pharmacists who oppose the sale of medicines in supermarkets. The association's activists have detected in each of the 6 sample cities (Milan, Rome, Bologna, Naples, Palermo and Bari) the entrances to 10 pharmacies that took place today from 10 to 11, comparing them with the influx of the same day last week.
In fact, a year ago the association presented a criminal complaint, reporting the enormous price differences on some drugs between Italy and European countries. Just to give a few examples, Daflon costs 14 euros in Italy, against 7 in France, Aspirin costs 3.95 euros while in Paris it can be bought for 2.91 euros, powdered milk in Italy cost (at the time of the complaint) between 36 and 45 euros, while in the rest of Europe it is sold at prices ranging between 15 and 20 euros, a pack of Tachipirina tablets costs 4.50 euros in Italy, France 2.75, for the Vaxi-grip flu vaccine the Italian price is 11.90, the French one 6.28, the Pevaryl cream 3.54 euros the price for the French, around 8 euros here in Italy.
Codacons claimed in its exposition
“The cause of the aforementioned indiscriminate and unjust increase in the prices of medicines, even essential ones, would lie in the cartel that the pharmaceutical companies would have set up…. The truthfulness of the above, if necessary, is confirmed by the Antitrust Authority itself which has opened a file relating to the Italian branches of the thirteen main global pharmaceutical industries which, as emerges from the investigation documents, have built a maxi-cartel to divide up the entire drug market in the public structures of nineteen cities (including Rome, Naples, Bologna, Turin and Cagliari)."
On the basis of these data, the Public Prosecutor of Cuneo has opened an investigation to clarify the causes that lead the same drug to cost much more in Italy than abroad.
Meanwhile, the boycott of pharmacies called today by Codacons has seen more than 40% adherence from citizens (with peaks higher than 50% in the south) with users who abstained from buying medicines or turned instead to municipal pharmacies, as a sign of protest against the position of pharmacists who oppose the sale of medicines in supermarkets. The association's activists have detected in each of the 6 sample cities (Milan, Rome, Bologna, Naples, Palermo and Bari) the entrances to 10 pharmacies that took place today from 10 to 11, comparing them with the influx of the same day last week.
Codacons – national news – 20/07/06
