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The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) on Monday ordered 11 pharmacy shops in Lilongwe and Blantyre to immediately cease and desist from excessive pricing of products used for prevention of corona virus.
The products include hand sanitisers, face masks and gloves.
Six of the shops which are in Lilongwe and five in Blantyre were not identified.
CFTC said the order follows a market inspection it conducted from March 20-23 to assess compliance with consumer protection laws in relation to pricing.
“The Competition and fair Trading Act and the Consumer Protection Act make it mandatory for enterprises to price their products in a manner that is fair, reasonable and conscionable,” the CFTC said.
The Commission said during the inspection, it found that these pharmacy shops had raised prices of basic medical supplies used in the prevention of the Coronavirus by margins ranging from 100% to 400%.
“This conduct creates terms and conditions of trade which are unfair, unreasonable, oppressive and unconscionable to consumers. This is a serious infringement of the Competition and Fair Trading Act , Cap 48:09 of the Laws of Malawi and Consumer Protection Act, Cap 48: 10 of the Laws of Malawi,” the Commission said.
The Commission warned that any pharmacy shops that will not comply with the orders will face stiff sanctions.
