Australians pay Further for rapid antigen tests despite increased supply

Australians pay further for rapid antigen tests that deal for less overseas, despite an gain in the supply of the diagnostic kits.

New government rules that will need close connections to use further tests to continue mixing in the community are expected to increase demand for the tests in coming days.
The ACT government will ease COVID rules, with household connections now needed to undertake a COVID-19 test and return a negative result every 48 hours if on- going attendance at a place of work or study is needed, from11.59 pm on Tuesday, April 26.

Suppliers have defended the prices of rapid antigen tests, saying there are significant import charges to Australia.
The Pharmacy Guild said costs would probably fall after stock bought at high charge at the peak of demand was retailed and was replaced with tests bought at affordable wholesale prices.

Simon Blacker, the branch chairman of the ACT Pharmacy association of Australia, said the reason the prices still remained between$ 15 to$ 25 a box was because pharmacies had excess supply purchased between December and February.
"We bought supply to try and predict demand. So you have instances where pharmacies will have an inventory that they are working through and some people will be buying in the market right now. So you've got scripts where I suppose costs are coming down but maybe not as quick as people might hope or you might anticipate,"he said.

Mr Blacker said he allowed demand would go up but prices were unlikely to rise.
"I suppose they will only creepdown. However, I suppose there is acceptable stock in the country to cope with that,"he said, If there were a surge in demand.

The ACT government is exploring avenues for people to access rapid antigen tests and will have further information coming week, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith verified on Thursday.
"Rapid antigen tests are available at our COVID-19 testing centres for those people who meet the criteria for testing,"she said.

" Utmost people who come to our testing centres, once they're there they prefer to get a PCR test, but we're looking at how we can distribute rapids to support these arrangements for people who are household connections."
Flowflex, a brand of COVID-19 rapid-fire antigen tests, cost about 10 pounds for a pack of five tests at a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, which is about$ 18. The same brand and pack of five cost about$ 50 in Australia.

An online German retailer listed the price of the Flowflex tests at1.72 Euros, which is about$2.50 a unit. A major retailer in the country has other rapid antigen test brands listed for between1.75 Euros and2.75 Euros, which is roughly between$2.50 and$ 4.

A spokeswoman for AusDiagnostics, a company that imports Flowflex to Australia, declined to note to The Canberra Times when asked about the price difference between the United Kingdom and Australia.

A price list handed by Solasta, which supplies another brand of rapid antigen tests in Australia, showed the wholesale price for an individual test was$3.95 in orders of 5000 units.

The price fell to$3.95 plus GST for a single one pack and$3.50 plus GST for a test when ordered in bulk as packs of five tests.

The recommended retail price was listed at$8.70 plus GST a unit for single test,$8.55 plus GST a unit in packets of for a five pack and$8.30 plus GST a unit in for a pack of 25 tests.
Source: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7707513/rapid-antigen-tests-prices-higher-in-australia-than-internationally/