The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission is carrying out investigations into the alleged high mark‑up prices of the meningococcal vaccines being sold by private pharmacies.
It has been brought to Commission’s attention that some pharmacies are charging exorbitant prices for the vaccines following the outbreak of the meningococcal disease.
As of last Thursday, the Commission’s team has been on the ground collating data and analyzing the pharmacies which are involved in the sale of the vaccines for the deadly disease.
The Commission has also had meetings with the Ministry of Health to discuss the issue and has also consulted Fiji Revenue and Customs Service for assistance with regards to ascertaining the prices of the vaccines.
The Commission says that information from Fiji Revenue and Customs Services has been received and is currently being analyzed and they anticipate a preliminary outcome in the next 2 to 3 working days.
The Commission states that it is expected that the preliminary outcome would provide enough information to determine the actual landing costs of the vaccines.
The Ministry of Health was earlier alerted of the serious concerns that are being raised regarding some pharmacies in Suva raising the prices of the vaccine for meningococcal disease immediately after the Ministry announced that there is an outbreak in Fiji.
Fijivillage has received confirmation that one pharmacy which was selling the vaccine for around $170 to $200 before the announcement on the outbreak, is now selling the same vaccine for $325.
This is just the price of the vaccine without the cost of administering the vaccine.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that there are 20 confirmed cases of Meningococcal and 18 suspected based on clinical signs and symptoms from 1st January to 29th March.
The Ministry says the meningococcal disease can only be treated at a health facility with antibiotic medication specifically used for this disease.
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