Pharmaceutical importers accepted that they could lower the price of some medicines that were too high, a government spokesman said yesterday.
The importers' admission at a meeting with the government that the price of some medicines were too high was a first in the ongoing negotiations and provided the basis for an understanding that should bring about a change in prices, the spokesman added.
The Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU would not speak about their proposals but said the meeting was "positive".
Consumer Affairs Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said tied an ultimatum to the meeting, saying that unless importers brought to the negotiating table a different attitude, the government would move ahead with measures that would force prices down.
A spokesman for Dr Said had said: "We wanted the importers to come to the meeting in the knowledge that things had to get moving because, at the end of the day, it is in everyone's interest."
The meeting yesterday, the spokesman said, brought about the change in position the government was hoping for. "I think there was a change in position, which will give us the basis for a solution that will see certain medicine prices go down."
Talks over the coming weeks will centre on identifying which medicine prices are inflated and by how much.
A spokesman for the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry said it was "satisfied" with the dialogue and was looking forward to further consultation to "refine a proposal for pricing mechanism that will be satisfactory for all parties concerned".
Similarly, a GRTU spokesman said it was "positive" and said the good of the patient was always the most important thing.
Complaints about the exorbitant price of some prescription drugs have been made for years. A study by the government showed that the 2008 price of about three quarters of the medicines analysed were above the EU average.
The government promised to take effective action in this year's Budget, even by introducing a voluntary price reduction mechanism.
It warned traders it was prepared to start importing medicines if steep prices persisted. The importers lashed out, saying they would not accept such an imposition.