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Date Published: 20/07/2021
ARCHIVED - Decree approved in Spain for sale of Coronavirus self-testing kits via pharmacies
The Government will set a "free" price to be determined by laboratories and pharmacies once over-the-counter tests go on sale
In an effort to stem the current upsurge in infections throughout Spain, the Council of Ministers has approved a Royal Decree on Tuesday, July 20th, which will allow the sale of Covid-19 self-tests in pharmacies without the need for a prescription. Ultimately it will be down to the pharmaceutical companies to decide on a fair price for the new antigen tests, with official sources speculating that the cost will range between €6 and €10.
The Spanish Government has confirmed that it will not regulate the price, since the tests fall under the range of ‘medical devices’ rather than ‘medicine, whose price is set by the Ministry of Health through the European Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMS). Sources from the Ministry of Finance have also indicated that the self-tests will also be exempt from VAT.
Speaking to the Health and Consumer Affairs Commission of the Congress of Deputies this week, the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, said that this measure will go a long way to ensuring that Covid infections are identified early, particularly in the younger age groups.
"The requirement of prescription was a barrier," she added.
Spain has come rather late to the game, as tests are available without prescription throughout much of Europe for very reasonable prices. In Portugal, antigen tests range between €7 and €10. In France there is a regulated price of €5.20, while in Belgium it costs around €8. In Germany, Aldi are reported to be selling packs of 5 kits for €25.99, although Lidl are undercutting them with a price tag of just €21.99.
Industry insiders have insisted that if the price isn’t regulated in Spain this won’t result in a situation such as that which occurred with masks last year, whereby private businesses began selling face coverings at extremely inflated prices due to the national shortage. A spokesperson pointed out that the market for Covid-related products has become much more “orderly” in recent months and that the antigen tests will only be produced by specialised laboratories that will agree on a fair and affordable price.
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