Marketplace Survey: Oxygen Prices Soared Until Pharmacies Sell COVID-19 Therapy Drugs Above HET

Photo illustration (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) conducted a survey to monitor the movement of oxygen prices in the marketplace and COVID-19 therapeutic drugs sold at pharmacies in several regions in Indonesia. The survey results on July 28 showed an increase in the price of oxygen and drugs.

Head of the KPPU Regional III Office Aru Armando said the price of oxygen with a trolley and a full set of 1 cubic meter regulator in DKI Jakarta rose by 59.5 percent, based on the results of a survey in 10 stores that market their products through the marketplace.

"The price increase was around 59.5 percent from the average price the previous week, which was Rp. 918,800. Stock is available," he said in a virtual press conference, Friday, July 30.

Meanwhile, KPPU also conducted a survey in 10 other marketplace stores. KPPU found that there was a decrease in the price of oxygen in the size of 1 cubic meter with the trolley and full set regulator down 1.3 percent in these other marketplaces.

Aru said, the 10 shops in the other marketplace sell oxygen 1 cubic meter full set at a price of Rp. 1.4 million to Rp. 6.8 million as of July 28, 2021. The average price of oxygen is Rp. 4.46 million.

Furthermore, Aru said, the price of Oxycan 500cc portable oxygen fell 12.3 percent as of July 28, 2021. Based on KPPU's monitoring in one marketplace, the price was in the range of Rp. 135 thousand to Rp. 365 thousand.

"There is a decrease in the average price of Oxycan by 12.3 percent from the average price of the previous week of IDR 217 thousand," he said.

Aru assessed that the movement of oxygen prices was better than before. Because the price of oxygen had jumped by hundreds of percent in early July 2021 or when the emergency PPKM was implemented.

COVID-19 therapeutic drugs are sold beyond HET

Not only conducting a survey of oxygen prices, KPPU also monitors price movements for COVID-19 therapeutic drugs. This was done because there were reports that the price of COVID-19 drugs circulating in the market did not match or exceed the highest retail price (HET) set by the government.

KPPU's Director of Economics M Zulfirmansyah said that apart from the discrepancy between drug prices and HET, COVID-19 therapeutic drugs are also starting to become scarce in many pharmacies in several regions.

"The scarcity and price of drugs that exceed the HET occurred in Java-Bali and parts of Sumatra in the areas of Palembang, Lampung, and Jambi. Then in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and eastern regions such as Maluku and Papua, it is more of a scarcity due to distribution that is still hampered," he said.

For example, several pharmacies in North Sumatra also sell the drug azithromycin above the HET IDR 1,700 per tablet. There are four pharmacies that sell for Rp. 5,500 per tablet, Rp. 4,500 per tablet, Rp. 5.00 per tablet, and Rp. 6,000 per tablet.

Meanwhile, said Zulfirmansyah, pharmacies and pharmacies in the Kalimantan and Central Java regions complained that the HET for COVID-19 therapeutic drugs had too small or thin margins.

Thus, continued Zulfirmansyah, KPPU suspects that the scarcity of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs occurs because pharmacies and pharmacies are not willing to provide these drugs, and ultimately creates obstacles in the field.

In addition, there is also data from 34 provinces where the supply and demand for COVID-19 therapeutic drugs is not balanced. The main demand is in areas with a high number of COVID-19 patients, such as DKI Jakarta, East Java, West Java, and Central Java.

Not only that, said Zulfirmansyah, another problem is when drugs are produced domestically but the raw materials are still imported more than 90 percent. slowing down the acceleration of drug manufacture," he said.

The results of the KPPU's survey also found that some pharmacies were not provided with COVID-19 therapeutic drugs because pharmaceutical wholesalers (PBF) preferred to supply them to hospitals and clinics because they were desperately needed.