A Hungarian journalist was surprised to discover a striking price difference after buying a popular sore-throat remedy in Budapest and later checking its price in Bristol. According to his account, a pack of 36 Strepsils throat lozenges in the UK cost less than a tenth of what he had paid for a smaller pack in Hungary.
Huge price difference in throat capsule prices in Hungary and the United Kingdom
Balázs Láng, editor-in-chief of Central European Affairs Magazine, shared the comparison on Facebook after visiting a pharmacy in Budapest with the beginnings of a throat infection. He bought Cataflam painkillers and a 24-pack of Strepsils, paying HUF 8,800 (GBP 20.41, EUR 24.16) for the two products combined. The Strepsils alone accounted for HUF 4,200 (EUR 11.53), he said.
The price difference became apparent when Láng later visited a shop in Bristol. There, he found a 24-pack of Strepsils priced at GBP 1.17, while a larger pack containing 36 throat lozenges cost just GBP 1.19. At the exchange rate used in his post, the larger pack worked out at less than HUF 450 (EUR 1.24).
In other words, the British shop was selling 36 drops for a fraction of the price charged for 24 in the Budapest pharmacy. Láng also said that a 36-pack of these throat lozenges typically costs between HUF 5,500 and HUF 6,200 (EUR 15.10 and EUR 17.03) in Hungary. The comparison is striking, although it is not a like-for-like survey of prices across the two countries. One purchase was made in a Hungarian pharmacy and the other in a British general retailer, and prices can vary according to the shop, pack size and specific product.
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Why are these medicines so much more expensive here than in the UK?
Over-the-counter medicines in Hungary are generally subject to market-based pricing, meaning that the price paid can vary between pharmacies. Unlike certain prescription medicines, their prices are not necessarily shaped by the same state reimbursement arrangements.
Several factors can affect the final price, including exchange rates, import and distribution costs, the size of the market and retail mark-ups. Differences in where medicines can be sold may also affect competition: while Strepsils was available in a general shop in Bristol, the Hungarian purchase was made at a pharmacy.
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Hungarian government already took steps
The Hungarian Competition Authority (Gadasági Versenyhivatal, GVH) launched an investigation into the over-the-counter medicines market in early 2026. The authority said the inquiry was intended to examine possible competition concerns that could contribute to high prices. Opening an investigation, however, does not in itself establish that any company has broken the law.
As Pénzcentrum recently reported, change to Hungary’s VAT rules for prescription medicines also took effect on 1 September 2026, according to the supplied report. The change does not automatically make non-prescription products such as Strepsils cheaper, as over-the-counter medicines remain subject to the applicable rules for their category.
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