Patients in Melbourne’s west slugged higher prices for vital medicines
Patients in Melbourne’s west are paying drastically more for vital medicines depending on where they live, with laws that prevent discount chemists from opening in their suburb helping to keep prices sky high.
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Customers in Melbourne’s west are paying up to four times more for prescription drugs depending on where they live, a Leader investigation has found.
Prices for 10 of the most prescribed medications on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, including those used to treat diabetes or depression, were compared across six pharmacies in Moonee Valley, Wyndham, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Brimbank and Melton.
The survey revealed the cost of Esomeprazole 20mg, used for gastroesophageal reflux, was four times higher in Footscray than in other western suburbs.
While the cost of the diabetic medication Metformin 1000mg was almost three times more expensive in Footscray than in neighbouring areas.
Mark, a pharmacist at Patel & Chin Pharmacy in Footscray who did not want his full name published, said competition was the main driver that forced costs down.
Pharmacies were guided on price by the companies they bought their drugs from, he said, and small operators sometimes found it difficult to compete with the big discount chains such as Chemist Warehouse.
Some people follow whatever we’re given by the pharmacy companies, some people drop their price to be competitive with other pharmacies,” he said.
Chemist Warehouse chief executive Mario Tascone said laws forbidding new chemists from opening within 1.5km of existing businesses work to stifle competition, particularly in regional areas.
The same rules also banned supermarkets from selling prescription drugs and meant any new pharmacy must be located within 500m of a full-time prescribing medical practitioner and a small supermarket, or within 500m of a large supermarket.
The Pharmacy Guild justifies the anti-competitive rules claiming they are needed to ensure a “well-distributed network to dispense PBS medicines”.
But a Chemist Warehouse survey found last year that 65 per cent of people have travelled to another town to visit a pharmacy, while more than 85 per cent drove as far as 50kms because of pricing.
“They should be relabelled “stop Chemist Warehouse” rules,” Chemist Warehouse chief executive Mario Tascone.
A western suburbs pharmacist who did not want to be named said other business factors also drove up the cost of medications including rent, staff wages, and home delivery services.
Pharmacist Jayson Atkins, who runs Jayson Atkins Pharmacy in Essendon North, said it was “simplistic” to talk about price as if that was the only thing that mattered.
“It’s much bigger than that, it’s a lot of quality of care,” Mr Atkins said.
“It’s not about price, it’s about the value and the value we add.
“A lot of the time we’re actually cheaper than our competitors.”
Metformin. 1000mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $7.50
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $7.50
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $22.39
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $8
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $10.99
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $7.50
Escitalopram antidepressant 20mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $6
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $5.60
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $19.82
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $7
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $9.99
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $5.60
Rosuvastatin 20mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $9
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $8.99
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $23.19
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $11
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $15.99
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $8.99
Atorvastatin 40mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $6
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $7.99
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $20.87
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $7
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $9.95
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $6
Esomeprazole 20mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $8.50
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $5.99
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $24
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $11
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $11.99
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $10
Pantoprazole 40mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $6
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $5.99
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $20.25
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $8
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $8.95
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $6
Perindopril 5mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $7
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $5.60
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $20.56
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $11.65
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $8.95
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $6
Cefalexin 250mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $5.60
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $5.60
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $19.41
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $7.70
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $8.95
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $5.60
Amoxicillin 500mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $5.60
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $5.50
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $19.45
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $8
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $7.99
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $5.60
Amoxicillin + clauvanic acid antibiotic 500mg
Keilor East, Lincolnville Pharmacy, $6
Tarneit, Tarneit Discount Drug Store, $5.50
Footscray, Patel & Chin Pharmacy, $19.45
Altona North, Pharmacy 4 Less, $8
Caroline Springs, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, $7.99
Essendon North, Eastbrooke Medical Centre Pharmacy, $8.99
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