Ministry of Health launches new app to address drug price discrepancies

Some pharmacies in Lebanon charge more than one million LBP for a diabetes medication, even though the Ministry of Health's index indicates a price of 893 thousand LBP.

 

This is just one example of many medications whose prices may vary from one pharmacy to another compared to the price approved by the Ministry of Health.

 

The MedLeb Patient Guide application, made available by the Ministry of Health for free, will help you identify these differences.

 

You can use this application to search for medications registered in Lebanon and get all the necessary details.

 

So how does MedLeb application work?

 

You enter the drug's name into the app after downloading it, and the search begins.

 

For instance, if you search for Paracetamol, all relevant information, such as the cost, the country of manufacture, the agent, and others, will be displayed to you.

 

It is also possible to search for the available alternative through the Substitute feature, where a list of available alternative medicines appears, such as Panadol, Febradol, Nomal, and others.

 

Using this application, patients can report any price discrepancies to the Ministry of Health as a first step.

 

The application will be developed later this year to serve as a comprehensive guide for the locations of pharmacies and hospitals where patients can find the medications they are looking for.