The Pharmacy Guild of Australia WA Branch strongly rejects research from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (the ACCC) that the wholesale price of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) is as low as $3.82/test.
In their media statement, 'Update on action on rapid antigen test pricing', issued earlier today, the ACCC claimed that the wholesale price remains between $3.82 and $11.42 per test, depending on the type of test.
"The figure of $3.82 is so far removed from the situation in Western Australia that it's not funny," Pharmacy Guild of Australia WA Branch President, Mr Andrew Ngeow commented.
The ACCC is basing these figures on information from the period between 29 December 2021 and 14 January 2022.
"We need to remember that until 10 January 2022, Western Australia prohibited the use of RATs which, unless exempted, could result in fines of up to $20,000 for an individual and $100,000 for businesses," Mr Ngeow said. "As such, there was no market for RATs here during much of the ACCC's reporting period."
Since 10 January however, pharmacies across Western Australia have been inundated with requests for RATs although given the level of Australia-wide demand, many will not have the supply to fully meet patients' needs for perhaps a month.
Western Australians are both nervous about the looming entry of COVID-19 into the State and frustrated that they are unable to obtain RATs," Mr Ngeow said. "Pharmacies are doing what they can to secure supplies of RATs and quite frankly, they don't need this type of misinformation being put out by the ACCC."
"All Western Australian pharmacies would welcome immediate access to RATs at under four dollars a unit," Mr Ngeow said. "That is very unlikely to occur in the forceable future."
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia WA Branch welcomes the ACCC's continued monitoring of RATs pricing and expects that they will include greater levels of detail, including per-jurisdiction, in their future reporting.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia WA Branch has written to the ACCC on this matter and hopes to have an opportunity to discuss the real state of RATs supply and pricing to Western Australian pharmacies with them.
