Citizens are facing heavy costs when purchasing Over-The-Counter (OTC) medications, such as painkillers, ointments, eye drops, and other commonly used products that are essential in daily life. The free market pricing of these products has led to extreme situations, with the cost of a box of painkillers reaching exorbitant levels on islands and in remote areas.

Price increases for OTC medications have been steady and continuous year after year. This is evident from the data on direct out-of-pocket payments for medicines by citizens. According to the latest report by the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), conducted annually in collaboration with the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE), spending on OTC medications reached €391 million in 2023, up from €349 million in 2022.

If we also include the costs for purchasing medications on the negative list (prescription drugs not reimbursed by the National Organization for Healthcare Provision, EOPYY) and drugs that are reimbursed but citizens choose to pay 100% of the cost, the total “out of pocket” payments for 2023 amount to a staggering €1.8 billion.