Pharmacies vs. supermarkets: Are there differences in the prices of medicines?

Si, there are differences in the prices of non-prescription drugs sold in pharmacies and in the health spaces of supermarkets, according to an analysis of DECO PROTECTION, to which the News to Minutes he had access. The conclusion is clear: medicines “are cheaper in health spaces associated with supermarkets”.

Paracetamol stands out: 0.99€ or 2,70€?

“When analysing the prices of each medicine, regardless of the place of sale, dECO PROTEST was faced with great differences. The most expressive is the Paracetamol Generis MG 500 mg (20 units), which can both cost 99 cents and 2,70 euros. Thus, since the values are relatively low, disparity does not seem abysmal. However, if viewed in percentage terms (173%) already impresses”, can be read in the analysis of the consumer protection organisation. 

The DECO PROTIES also “discovers the Voltaren 25 (20 capsules) and Strepfen Mel and Lemon (24 units), with differences around 70%“. However, the “Voltaren Emulgelex 20 mg/g 180 grams has the lowest gap, still reaches 38%”.

The conclusion of the consumer protection organisation is therefore that “the chosen establishment has an important weight in the final invoice to be paid by the consumer“.

Among the health spaces of ‘supers’, which is the cheapest? 

The analysis of the consumer protection organisation shows that Wells, “Sonae group, is the one that sells the cheapest basket [of medicines], on average”.

“In its pursuit follows the space ♪ Well-being, the Candy Ping ♪ (plus 1%), and, a little further away Auchan's Health and Wellnessand Health Space, El Corte Inglés. In these, the basket is, respectively, three and six percent more expensive than in Wells”, it can still be read in the analysis to which the News to Minutes he had access.

DECO PROTECTION recalls that there was a time when only pharmacies could sell medicines whether or not they were subject to a prescription: “This era ended in 2005, with the entry into force of the law authorising the availability of medicines not subject to prescription (MNSRM), also said ‘of free sale’, outside pharmacies.”.

Now, “the places of sale must be authorised by Infarmed – National Medicines Authority and
Health Products”, and “the same legislation liberalised prices, which means that they are defined by those who market“. 

“There was a expectation that, with competition, prices would fall. It didn't happen. Overall, the studies carried out by DECO PROTEST, since then, show the opposite. And the latter, with June 2026 prices, is no exception ", concludes the organization.

Users spent over 571 million on medicines by August

The portuguese spent more than 571 million euros on the purchase of medicines in pharmacies in the first seven months of this year, which represented an increase of 11.7 million over the same period of 2025.

According to the Outpatient Drug Expenditure Monitoring Report of the National Medicines Authority (Infarmed), consulted by Lusa, user charges increased annually by 2.1% in this period.

A average expenditure of each user was eur 4.70 per medicine, having been dispensed almost 162 million packages between january and july this year, three million more than in the first seven months of the last year.

The document also indicates that SNS’s expenditure on ambulatory medicines was more than €1,179 million, an increase of almost 90 million over the period January and July 2025.