COVID-19 self-testing kits will not have a price cap, meaning they can be sold at any price, Times of Malta has learnt.
The kits, which can only be sold in pharmacies, are for personal use and the results cannot be used for travel or other forms of COVID-19 status certification.
According to the Medicines Authority, “in the current market, COVID-19 self-test kits will not be price capped”. The selling will, however, be regulated by the laws for testing of COVID-19, published in September 2021.
“The Authority may, where it so deems necessary, restrict market access to COVID-19 Test Kits in the interest of public health and in accordance with the In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulations,” the rules state.
The kits on the market must be approved by the Medicines Authority and must satisfy minimum sensitivity (90%+) and specificity (98%+) levels.
Kits have been available on the black market for months but started appearing on shelves more openly after Health Minister Chris Fearne announced that they would be made legal.
However, it is technically illegal for anyone other than a pharmacist to sell them - and pharmacies have been told they must also not sell them until the MMA has issued a list of approved testing kit brands.
Despite those warnings, kits are still widely available and vary significantly in price. Times of Malta found self-testing kits ranging from €3.33 each when bought in bulk from a seller on Facebook Marketplace, to €8 from pharmacies.
The kits on the market must be approved by the Medicines Authority and must satisfy minimum sensitivity (90%+) and specificity (98%+) levels
A number of pharmacies have also yet to stock the tests, as they are waiting to know which brands of kits will be approved by the MMA for sale. Health sources have told Times of Malta this list should be made available in the coming days, although they did not specify when.
Meanwhile, some pharmacies that have already started stocking the tests are selling them at varying prices that range between €6 and €8.
On Facebook’s Marketplace, tests can be bought at cheaper prices, with one seller offering a single kit for €5, five for €20, 10 for €40, 20 for €75 and 30 for €100.
Another online seller, however, is selling the kits at €10 a piece.
When the pandemic first emerged in 2020, the authorities had introduced price capping for face masks.