Idealo Internet GmbH
Berlin (ots)
Many consumers have had to experience first-hand that certain medicines have repeatedly been affected by bottlenecks. The shortage has long since included not only niche drugs, but many common drugs. An analysis of the price comparison platform idealo now shows: Even over-the-counter medicines are currently less available than they were a year ago. At the same time, prices are rising.
In order to find out the availability and pricing of non-prescription medicines, idealo took a closer look at around 20 product groups from the medicines sector, including, for example, painkillers, gastrointestinal or cardiovascular medicines. The development of available offers and demand as well as the change in average prices per category on idealo.de were analyzed.
Consistently fewer offers
In each of the categories examined, there was a significant decrease in the offers: In March 2023, there were on average around 35 percent fewer painkillers, 33 percent fewer diabetes drugs and 29 percent fewer nerve pills, sleeping pills and tranquilizers than in the same month of the previous year. The development is most evident in the field of cold medicines: Here, the supply has fallen by an average of 42 percent.
“The drug bottlenecks are not only noticeable in local pharmacies, but also online,” explains Florian Kriegel, price expert at idealo. “There are currently fewer offers available than last year. However, the availability is nowhere near as bad as at the beginning of the corona pandemic – when there was a real rush for certain medicines.”
Over-the-counter drug prices hit record high
The reduced supply and the increased demand – which idealo can record for almost all drug groups, with the exception of vitamins & minerals – are also having an effect on average prices. Compared to the same month last year, prices in March 2023 rose across almost all categories. The price comparison platform for painkillers recorded the highest increase, which currently costs an average of 49 percent more. While consumers paid an average of 4.29 euros for a pack in March 2022, it is currently 6.39 euros.
On average, kidney and bladder medication (+ 18 percent), nerve, sleeping and sedatives (+ 15 percent), cardiovascular medication (+ 11 percent) and cold remedies (+ 11 percent) have also become more expensive.
“Despite the overall increase in price levels, over-the-counter medicines online are usually still significantly cheaper than the regular retail price in pharmacies,” says Kriegel. “To find the best price, we recommend always comparing offers from multiple retailers.”
About idealo
With an average of 76 million visits per month in Germany alone, idealo is one of the leading European price comparison platforms. On idealo.de and in the idealo app, consumers can compare more than 500 million offers from around 50,000 retailers. This makes idealo the price expert in online retail. The company was founded in 2000 and is now represented in a total of six countries (Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria and Spain). Around 1,000 employees from over 60 nations work either remotely or at the Berlin-Mitte location.
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Press contact:
Christina Vieth
Mobil: +49 (0)175 604 50 62
E-Mail: [email protected]
Anna Shochot
Mobil: +49 (0) 151 2450 2308
E-Mail: [email protected]
Original content from: Idealo Internet GmbH, transmitted by news aktuell