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Pharmacies did nothing wrong when they raised prices for bandages this spring, the Norwegian Competition Authority concluded.
The price of masks rose through the air this spring. But the reason was the sharp increase in demand, a survey by the Norwegian Competition Authority shows.
Terje Pedersen / NTB
Published:
The price of face masks quadrupled in some pharmacies this spring. But the reason is increased demand, not that pharmacies speculated on the pandemic, a survey by the Norwegian Competition Authority shows.
– We do not see that it was an excessively high price. It has become more expensive to buy masks on the world market, and that explains the increase in price. Norwegian pharmacies have not commented on this, director Lars Sørgard of the Norwegian Competition Authority tells Bergens Tidende.
The survey, among other things, examined figures from pharmacy chains, hospital pharmacies, and online pharmacies.
– Suddenly, everyone was going to buy a mask, and then the price will be consistent. When demand grew so fast, the pharmacy chains had to negotiate with suppliers they wouldn’t normally use, says Vitusapotek pharmacist Tonje Cecilie Mohn in the Bergen shopping center.
