New Qajjenza pharmacy inaugurated

Civil liberties minister Helena Dalli inaugurated a new pharmacy, The Crux Pharmacy in Qajjenza in Birzebbuga earlier today,  as a part of the Medicines Authority's drive to improve pharmacy services around the island.

"Pharmacists have a very important role in offering advice and information to their customers," she said, around registration of medicinal products and pharmaceutical activities.

Dalli also spoke about the achievements of the authority in an effort to attract more students to the sector. She added that the authority was making sure that it reinvested its income into research to continue strengthening the system.

Prof Anthony Serracino Inglott, chairman of the authority, said that the pharmacy would be under the supervision of a fully qualified pharmacist, who is one of the first to read for a Doctorate of Pharmacy locally.

"The authority has offered students who wish to further their studies to PhD level placement opportunities at various pharmacies around the island during their course."

He also explained that the Authority had become an international benchmark in its authorization system, which was recognized throughout the EU.

"The authority is currently participating in the evaluation of new revolutionary medications including one designed to tackle a particular condition that could result in blindness,” he said.

He added that the authority was also involved in inspections of factories in countries including India, Malaysia and Serbia, to verify whether they were suitable to export their products.

He added that so far the authority had registered some 4,800 new medications, most of which were known as 'generic medications," which were considerably less expensive than the first medications on the market, resulting in highly competitive prices for consumers.

The director of the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, Joyce Borg said that both authorities had worked together to bring the best prices to Maltese consumers.