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Many people in the Czech Republic have probably already noticed that products abroad often have better quality and at the same time lower prices than those available on the Czech market.
This phenomenon is also apparent in medicines
A recent post by a young Slovak woman on social media pointed out interesting differences between the children’s cough syrup Mucosolvan that she bought in Austria and Germany, and the version available in the Czech Republic. The results of the comparison shocked her.
Dosage and effectiveness of Mucosolvan syrup
When the woman’s child began coughing while staying in Austria, she bought the children’s syrup Mucosolvan at a local pharmacy. After using it up she needed to replenish her supplies, so she bought the same syrup in Germany. At first glance the syrup looked similar, but a detailed examination of the dosage revealed an unexpected discovery.
- The German version of the syrup contained 30 mg of active substance (ambroxol) per 5 ml, while
- The Czech version of the syrup had the active substance reduced to 15 mg per 5 ml.
This difference means that to achieve the same effect a child in the Czech Republic would have to take twice the dose of the Czech syrup. With a higher dose the amount of sweeteners and additives also increases, which can affect a child’s organism.
Price and tax differences
When it came to comparing prices, the difference was equally shocking:
- In Germany a package of the more effective syrup costs 3,99 €, although VAT on medicines here is 19 %.
- Conversely, in the Czech Republic the same syrup with half the effectiveness is more than twice as expensive despite the reduced VAT of 10 %.
For a child in the Czech Republic to receive the same dose of active substance as a child in Germany, it would be necessary to consume two packages of Mucosolvan syrup available in the Czech Republic. The resulting price would thus be 10,90 €, which is over 2.5 times more than in Germany.
Why does such a difference occur?
Whether this is due to different pricing policies of pharmaceutical companies or specifics of the Czech market is not clear. These differences, however, raise questions regarding the quality of medicines sold on the Czech market and their price. The example mentioned above with the children’s syrup Mucosolvan clearly shows that differences in efficacy and price of the same medicines between the Czech Republic and neighboring countries can be significant.
