The nursing council denounces that antigen tests cost in Spain “2000% more than in Germany”

The Nursing Profession Bureau, formed by the General Nursing Council (CGE) and the Nursing Union (SATSE), has called on the Government to “regulate the price of antigen tests” that are sold over the counter in pharmacies in order to, “put an end to the speculation and inequality of prices that cause that in Spain cost 2,000% more than in countries around us, such as Germany”.

In a statement published by the journal Medical Editorial, the Bureau of the Nursing Profession stresses that it is “intolerable that in our country these tests are costing the citizen between 10 and 14 euros while in countries like Germany the expenditure is 0.75 euros”.

The organisation recalls that something similar has already happened with the masks, which were put on the market with a sale price “disproportionate” to that set in other countries of the European Union.

“It has been almost a month since pharmacies have been able to sell autotest antigens without a prescription, and we are witnessing stupefied at meaningless price differences in the sale of these diagnostic coronavirus tests, which vary between 10 and 14 euros depending on the private pharmacy office in which you buy them”, they say.

Despite its price, the sale of this type of test to detect the coronavirus has been massive since the first day, to the point that the supply came to be in danger in several communities in Spain. In any case, after the initial peak in sales, pharmacies have already been supplied in anticipation of a possible shortage of stocks.

According to the report of the follow-up of the sale in pharmacies of these self-diagnostic tests to detect Covid, prepared by the health consultant IQVIA, in the week of July 26 to August 1, 1,081,554 antigen tests were sold in pharmacy, many of them due to the obligatory nature of this test to travel to certain countries.