Budapest, 09 February 2022 The Government has accepted the proposal of the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) to stimulate the retail price competition of rapid COVID-19 tests, so as of today the GVH has authorised the sale of self-testing antigen rapid tests by businesses licensed to distribute medicines outside of pharmacies, such as retail chains, drug stores and petrol stations.
The Hungarian Competition Authority has recently concluded its accelerated sectoral investigation in the domestic market of rapid coronavirus tests, in which it concluded that these products are too expensive indeed in Hungary compared to other countries. In the final report of the accelerated sector inquiry, GVH made several proposals to remedy the high prices of rapid tests in Hungary. One of them was the legal authorization of the expansion of point-of-sale (POS), which could lead to a stimulated retail price competition in the sale of rapid tests, as well as a growth in the geographical coverage and availability of sales. This would make it easier for the public to access such tests.
The Government has decided that, in accordance with the proposal of GVH, the sale of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests will also be permitted to businesses that have a license to distribute medicines outside of pharmacies under the relevant legal regulations – so these products can conveniently also appear in the product range of retail chains, drug stores and petrol stations. As a result of the expansion, consumers may see greater competition, which may result in lower prices.
The Hungarian Competition Authority repeatedly suggests that undertakings distributing rapid antigen tests should review their value chains, as reducing the number of intermediate actors in the chain who carry out resale, it could also have a positive impact on the final consumer prices.
The accelerated analysis also found that, in many cases, inadequate information is provided to consumers regarding COVID tests available for the self-testing of the public. The GVH has notified the parties concerned of its objections, requesting the remedy by 14 February 2022. After that, the Hungarian Competition Authority will re-monitor online trading and, if the problems persist, the Authority will take coordinated enforcement actions to remedy them
The final report of the Hungarian Competition Authority on the accelerated sector inquiry conducted on the market of rapid COVID-19 antigen tests in Hungary is available on the GVH’s website:
GVH Press Office