PN, Labour trade accusations over claims on generic medicines

The Nationalist Party and the Labour Party have exchanged accusations over comments made by Opposition leader Alex Borg on generic medicines, following claims and counterclaims linked to a report by the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life.

Earlier on Saturday, the PN said Labour media had spread “fake news” by alleging that Borg had provided false information on generic medicines. The party insisted that the Commissioner found no grounds for an investigation and concluded there was not even a basis for the complaint to be pursued. The PN stressed that no breach or wrongdoing was identified and that the report was not published because no investigation was opened.

The Nationalist Party accused Labour of selectively quoting from an unpublished report while failing to state that the Commissioner found no wrongdoing by the Opposition leader. It also rejected claims that Borg had lied, saying the Commissioner’s final considerations clearly contradicted that narrative.

In a subsequent reaction, the Labour Party dismissed the PN’s position and accused the Opposition of deliberately spreading misinformation on an issue related to public health. Labour said the Opposition itself had quoted from the Commissioner’s report, which it claimed exposed what it described as deception, even if no breach of the parliamentary code of ethics was established.

Labour argued that the current code of ethics for MPs does not explicitly impose a duty to tell the truth, and said this explained why no ethical breach was found. However, it insisted that political and moral responsibility goes beyond the code, particularly when public health is concerned.

The governing party accused Borg of spreading what it called a dangerous falsehood by claiming that generic medicines are inferior. Labour said these claims were serious enough to prompt corrections from the Medicines Authority and the Superintendent of Public Health.

In its statement, Labour said misinformation may circulate temporarily but is eventually exposed, drawing parallels with past allegations it made about the PN’s finances. It also portrayed the Opposition as being in disarray, despite a change in leadership.

The PN, for its part, has maintained that it remains committed to improving healthcare and access to medicines, while criticising the Labour government’s record, including the Vitals and Steward hospitals concession.