The maximum price of antigen tests will be 2.94 euros in Spain: the measure will take effect from next January 15

The Interministerial Commission on Drug Prices has unanimously agreed today to set the maximum price of self-diagnostic antigen tests at 2.94 euros, so All tests of this type that are sold in pharmacies in our country, regardless of the company that manufactures it, will not be able to exceed this figure.. The measure will take effect as of next Saturday, January 15, 2022.

This was announced by the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, at the press conference after the Commission meeting, who explained that to arrive at that figure they have studied the sale prices of distributors to pharmacies, the prices of sale of pharmacies to the public, the sale prices of antigen tests in neighboring countries and the evolution of the cost of self-diagnostic tests since they began to be marketed in our country.

Darias has indicated that, taking into account all these data, the Commission has sought to set the most affordable price possible. The measure will affect all antigen tests authorized by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products to be marketed in our country.

Last Monday Pedro Sánchez already announced that the Executive planned to regulate the cost of antigen tests before the price escalation they had experienced in recent months, especially at Christmas as a result of the increase in infections, although then he did not give figures or dates.

In summer, when they began to be sold in our country, these self-diagnostic tests could be found for about three euros, but in recent weeks its cost in some pharmacies has reached 12 euros.

The reason for this price increase is simple, the increase in demand derived from the increase in infections just before Christmas has caused its cost to increase due to the limited supply. They are the laws of the market. And this has been precisely what different organizations, from consumer associations to health professional unions, have criticized, since they considered that a sanitary article of these characteristics should not be subject to capitalist logic and its cost would have to be controlled by public administrations.

Now, with this measure, the Government has responded to the demands of consumer and health associations.

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