Latest news with #MedicinePriceTransparencyMechanism
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Drug prices: private health facilities begin updating, preparing price lists
KUALA LUMPUR: Compliance with the Medicine Price Display Order is showing positive progress, with many private healthcare facilities in the capital and several states beginning to adopt the government's initiative. Bernama checks in Kuala Lumpur and states found that healthcare facilities and pharmacies are in the process of preparing price lists for medicines, although they require some time to implement the measure. In Kuala Lumpur, Dr Theiva Amirta of Peters Polyclinic and Surgery said the clinic is working on a medicine price list but needs more time to update it before it can be displayed publicly. 'We don't always buy the same medicines. Sometimes when a particular supply runs out, we have to get a different one of higher quality. So we need to continuously update the price list,' she told Bernama today. She also suggested that enforcement of the regulation, which came into effect on May 1, be placed under the Ministry of Health (MOH), which has a better understanding of the medical field. Natasha Adila, a staff member at Asia Clinic, said the clinic needs time to display medicine prices, adding that the move helps patients make comparisons, though it may have a slightly negative impact on private clinics. In Perlis, a pharmacy worker who only wished to be known as Su, 34, said her pharmacy has already implemented price displays to help customers make informed choices before purchasing the medicine they need. 'We've put price tags on the medicines so customers can see for themselves and make decisions based on their affordability. This definitely helps them,' she said. The initiative was also welcomed by 60-year-old grandmother of eight, Salhah Ismail from Sabah, who said the move is a great help in planning her medication expenses. In Kelantan, retired civil servant Abidin Abdullah, 65, noted that with medical costs rising, the government's initiative is very helpful, especially for middle- and lower-income groups seeking affordable medication. The initiative to display medicine prices at private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies took effect on May 1, in line with the MADANI Government's commitment to price transparency through the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism (MKHU). This implementation ensures that the public can make informed choices by knowing, comparing and selecting the best prices when planning their medicine expenses.
Malay Mail
05-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Health must not be held hostage to profit — Loh Foon Fong
MAY 5 — After years of public complaints about high medical costs, the Malaysian government has finally implemented the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism in private healthcare by mandating that all private healthcare facilities and pharmacies display drug prices. The move to contain medical costs is a step forward and it must not end there. It should include measures taken by pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers and insurance companies as well while addressing social and economic issues and educating the public about taking charge of their health. The Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Drug) Order 2025, effective May 1, requires all private healthcare providers and pharmacies to display the prices of medicines. Non-compliance may result in fines of up to RM50,000 for individuals and RM100,000 for corporate entities. On the other hand, the private general practitioners (GP) consultation fees which had been capped at RM10 to RM35 and have not been reviewed in over three decades should also be addressed to ensure fair wages for the doctors and fair charges for patients. The drug price display order was a dilution from the call for regulating the margin mark-up on single source medicine (only one supplier for the item) following industry pressure, a source told me. This shows that resistance from the industry continues to pose a challenge and can impede access to treatment, universal health coverage, and disease elimination. Despite it all, the price display order aligns with the World Health Organization's (WHO) call for more transparency in medicine markets. In fact, Malaysia was a co-sponsor of the WHO's 2019 resolution promoting this cause, although it was ultimately watered down. After years of public complaints about high medical costs, the Malaysian government has finally implemented the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism in private healthcare by mandating that all private healthcare facilities and pharmacies display drug prices. ― Unsplash pic To understand what goes on behind the scenes, the story of hepatitis C drug access has shed some light to the broader commercial forces shaping global health and medical prices. When sofosbuvir-based medicines were first introduced in the US in 2013, they promised a cure rate of over 90 per cent but came with a price tag exceeding US$90,000 per treatment. In Malaysia, that translated to RM350,000 then — comparable to the cost of a small apartment. Such pricing placed the drug out of reach for most patients, even in wealthier countries. (In 2017, Malaysia invoked a compulsory license under the World Trade Organization's TRIPS agreement to import generic versions of sofosbuvir, making the medicine more accessible.) Pharmaceutical companies often justify high drug prices by citing the costs of research and development. However, a closer look at the development of sofosbuvir raises ethical questions. According to a United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) briefing paper released in January 2025, the drug originated from publicly-funded research in a university in the United States. The discovery eventually led to a venture-backed company that was later acquired by a major pharmaceutical firm. Within three years of launching sofosbuvir-based medicines, the firm made immense profits, spending far more on shareholder buybacks than on further R&D. Top executives — major shareholders themselves — reaped massive financial rewards. With billions in reserves, the company continued acquiring others, following a business model rooted in high pricing and profit maximisation. The UNU-IIGH report criticised this trend of treating medicines as financial assets, often at the expense of equitable access and patients' lives. This model was also evident during the Covid-19 pandemic — pharmaceutical giants, supported by governments from high-income countries, dominated vaccine markets and resisted sharing technology to boost global supply and despite heavy public subsidies funding vaccine development, the profits largely flowed back to shareholders through extensive buyback programmes, said the report. The international symposium 'Strengthening Global Health Governance: Defending the Public Interest and Holding Powerful Private Actors (PPAs) Accountable' (April 22–24, 2025) recently raised the concern about PPAs' growing concentration of wealth and power and its impact on shaping health policy and narratives that sometimes undermine public health, regulations and health outcomes. The PPAs include large transnational corporations, private financial institutions, and private foundations UNU-IIGH director Dr Revati Phalkey emphasised the urgency of the situation. 'While painful budget cuts are being made to the World Health Organization and many vital health programmes, private entities with commercial interests appear to be gaining more influence in the health sector. This raises urgent questions about accountability,' she said at the symposium, hosted by UNU-IIGH and the Third World Network. The symposium, co-sponsored by WHO, Oxfam, and the University of Oslo's Collective on the Political Determinants of Health and attended by some 100 global health thinkers from the academia, civil society, and the UN bodies in Kuala Lumpur, called for stronger mechanisms to hold private actors accountable. 'There's a long history of public health having to contend with the politics of the world,' said UNU-IIGH research lead Professor Dr David McCoy in his introduction speech, referencing unethical practices such as misleading marketing of formula milk, abuse of patent laws to restrict medicine access, and denial of climate change science by fossil fuel companies. Dr McCoy warned that the global health systems would become increasingly reliant on private funding as public institutions and intergovernmental bodies such as the WHO, face major funding cuts and there was a need for greater scrutiny. Such a recommendation is useful for Malaysia where the government had increasingly relied on the private sector to fill the gaps. It is important to ensure all public-private partnerships are transparent, accountable, and serve the public interest. Third World Network executive director Chee Yoke Ling explained that the symposium was not about hitting out against the private sector but challenged the way political and economic systems are structured and called for new rules and regulations to prioritise the rights and entitlements of all peoples. The push for drug price transparency in private health facilities is welcome but there is also a need to hold PPAs accountable. This is no easy feat. A regional support could lend support. Malaysia holds the Asean Chairmanship for 2025. It may want to consider initiating the effort with other Asean states. Governments, while setting an example themselves, must reclaim their role as protectors of public interest and in shaping health policy, or risk allowing powerful private actors to turn healthcare into a commodity, accessible only to those who can pay, instead of a basic right for all. * Loh Foon Fong is an independent senior health journalist based in Kuala Lumpur. Like many Malaysians, she is also concerned about the high cost of medical treatments. ** This is the personal opinion of the writers or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Doctors not against mandatory price display, object to use under Act 723
PETALING JAYA: Doctors are not against price transparency for medicines but object to the enforcement of the recent mandatory price labelling move under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723), the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said in a statement today. Ahead of the planned march from the Health Ministry to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Tuesday, titled 'Doctors Betrayed: The Long Walk to Putrajaya, MMA's Private Practitioners Section (PPS) chairman Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh Kuldip Singh said the symbolic walk aims to express the medical fraternity's deep disappointment over the application of Act 723 — a law not originally intended for the medical profession. The march would highlight concerns about the various unanswered questions on the medicine price display and the unresolved issue of stagnant private general practitioner consultation fees, a longstanding issue since 1992. 'We wish to reiterate that doctors are not against price transparency but strongly oppose Act 723 being used in the medical profession,' he said in a statement. Dr Parmjit said the march would go ahead as planned if there are no objections, as MMA have submitted all necessary documents to inform the relevant authorities about the gathering. He said a memorandum will be handed over to the PMO through a joint effort between the association and other doctors' associations during the march. Last week, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali announced that the mandatory price labelling would take effect on May 1. In a joint statement, they said the move aims to ensure the public can make informed choices by knowing, comparing, and selecting the best prices when managing their medication expenses. 'This initiative is being introduced in line with the Madani Government's commitment to promoting price transparency through the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism (MKHU). 'It will be enforced under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Medicines) Order 2025, pursuant to the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723),' they said. The price labelling requirement applies to all medicines for human use, including prescription and non-prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, traditional remedies, health supplements, and extemporaneous preparations. It covers all private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies regulated under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 [Act 586] that sell, supply, or administer medicines. Following this, MMA called for the suspension of the policy's rollout to ensure that the association's concerns were adequately discussed and resolved.
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Doctors not against mandatory price display
PETALING JAYA: Doctors are not against price transparency for medicines but object to the enforcement of the recent mandatory price labelling move under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723), the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said in a statement today. Ahead of the planned march from the Health Ministry to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Tuesday, titled 'Doctors Betrayed: The Long Walk to Putrajaya, MMA's Private Practitioners Section (PPS) chairman Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh Kuldip Singh said the symbolic walk aims to express the medical fraternity's deep disappointment over the application of Act 723 — a law not originally intended for the medical profession. The march would highlight concerns about the various unanswered questions on the medicine price display and the unresolved issue of stagnant private general practitioner consultation fees, a longstanding issue since 1992. 'We wish to reiterate that doctors are not against price transparency but strongly oppose Act 723 being used in the medical profession,' he said in a statement. Dr Parmjit said the march would go ahead as planned if there are no objections, as MMA have submitted all necessary documents to inform the relevant authorities about the gathering. He said a memorandum will be handed over to the PMO through a joint effort between the association and other doctors' associations during the march. Last week, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali announced that the mandatory price labelling would take effect on May 1. In a joint statement, they said the move aims to ensure the public can make informed choices by knowing, comparing, and selecting the best prices when managing their medication expenses. 'This initiative is being introduced in line with the Madani Government's commitment to promoting price transparency through the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism (MKHU). 'It will be enforced under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Medicines) Order 2025, pursuant to the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723),' they said. The price labelling requirement applies to all medicines for human use, including prescription and non-prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, traditional remedies, health supplements, and extemporaneous preparations. It covers all private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies regulated under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 [Act 586] that sell, supply, or administer medicines. Following this, MMA called for the suspension of the policy's rollout to ensure that the association's concerns were adequately discussed and resolved.
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
MMA objects to mandatory medicine price labelling, plans march to PMO
PETALING JAYA: Doctors are not against price transparency for medicines but object to the enforcement of the recent mandatory price labelling move under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723), the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said in a statement today. Ahead of the planned march from the Health Ministry to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Tuesday, titled 'Doctors Betrayed: The Long Walk to Putrajaya, MMA's Private Practitioners Section (PPS) chairman Datuk Dr Parmjit Singh Kuldip Singh said the symbolic walk aims to express the medical fraternity's deep disappointment over the application of Act 723 — a law not originally intended for the medical profession. The march would highlight concerns about the various unanswered questions on the medicine price display and the unresolved issue of stagnant private general practitioner consultation fees, a longstanding issue since 1992. 'We wish to reiterate that doctors are not against price transparency but strongly oppose Act 723 being used in the medical profession,' he said in a statement. Dr Parmjit said the march would go ahead as planned if there are no objections, as MMA have submitted all necessary documents to inform the relevant authorities about the gathering. He said a memorandum will be handed over to the PMO through a joint effort between the association and other doctors' associations during the march. Last week, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali announced that the mandatory price labelling would take effect on May 1. In a joint statement, they said the move aims to ensure the public can make informed choices by knowing, comparing, and selecting the best prices when managing their medication expenses. 'This initiative is being introduced in line with the Madani Government's commitment to promoting price transparency through the Medicine Price Transparency Mechanism (MKHU). 'It will be enforced under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Medicines) Order 2025, pursuant to the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 (Act 723),' they said. The price labelling requirement applies to all medicines for human use, including prescription and non-prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, traditional remedies, health supplements, and extemporaneous preparations. It covers all private healthcare facilities and community pharmacies regulated under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 [Act 586] that sell, supply, or administer medicines. Following this, MMA called for the suspension of the policy's rollout to ensure that the association's concerns were adequately discussed and resolved.
