For the same pharmacy product, the difference between the lowest and the highest price displayed online by the national chains is, in the typical case, 41.4%. A basket of 20 of the most compared products costs 912.73 lei at the minimum prices and 1,824.30 lei at the maximum ones — practically double (+99.9%). These are the conclusions of the HartaFarmacii analysis of 10 June 2026, carried out on 7,991 products comparable across at least three pharmacy chains, out of a total of 62,773 products with active monitored offers.
Key findings
- The median difference between the maximum and the minimum price for the same product is 41.4%. A quarter of products have differences below 21.8%, and a quarter have differences of over 79%.
- For 10% of products, the difference exceeds 157.2% — the maximum price is more than two and a half times the minimum price. The arithmetic mean of the differences, pulled up by these extreme cases, is 82.4%.
- 3,351 products (42%) have price differences of over 50% between chains, and 1,481 products (18.5%) have differences of over 100%.
- A typical basket, made up of the 20 most compared products (each listed by at least five chains), costs 912.73 lei if each product is bought at the minimum price and 1,824.30 lei at the maximum price — a difference of +99.9%, that is over 900 lei on a single basket.
Concrete, verifiable examples
The table below contains common, over-the-counter products, with the number of chains in which they were found and the price range observed on the date of the analysis:
| Product | Chains | Minimum price (lei) | Maximum price (lei) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurofen Forte 400 mg, 24 coated tablets | 6 | 15.00 | 44.21 | +194.7% |
| Nurofen Express 200 mg, 20 capsules | 6 | 15.32 | 44.21 | +188.6% |
| Nurofen Cold & Flu, 12 tablets | 7 | 19.99 | 57.43 | +187.3% |
| Strepsils Intensive orange | 6 | 24.23 | 51.58 | +112.9% |
| Coldrex MaxGrip, 10 sachets | 3 | 31.60 | 53.16 | +68.2% |
| Espumisan 40 mg, 50 capsules | 6 | 22.88 | 37.50 | +63.9% |
| Paracetamol for children 250 mg, suppositories | 5 | 8.00 | 12.91 | +61.4% |
The prices are those publicly displayed on the chains' websites on 10 June 2026 and change frequently. The current price of any product can be checked through the HartaFarmacii search.
Who most often displays the minimum price
For the 7,991 comparable products we identified 8,631 "lowest price" positions — more than the number of products, because for some products two or more chains display exactly the same minimum price. The distribution of these minimums across chains is as follows:
| Chain | Share of minimum prices |
|---|---|
| Dr. Max | 41.2% |
| Spring Farma | 20.4% |
| Farmacia Tei | 11.0% |
| Help Net | 10.3% |
| Farmacia Dav | 6.0% |
| Mattca | 5.2% |
| Farmacia Ardealul | 3.2% |
| Dona | 2.7% |
Two important clarifications. First, "most often the minimum price" does not mean "always the cheapest": each of the chains in the table holds the minimum price for some of the products, and the order changes from product to product. Second, the ranking reflects exclusively the prices displayed online on the date of the analysis — not in-stock availability, in-store promotions or loyalty programmes.
Methodology
The study is based exclusively on public data and can be verified by anyone:
- Data source: the prices publicly displayed on the websites of the national pharmacy chains monitored by HartaFarmacii — among them Dr. Max, Catena, Farmacia Tei, Help Net, Dona, Spring Farma, Mattca, Farmacia Dav and Farmacia Ardealul — collected automatically.
- Collection date: 10 June 2026. All the figures in this article reflect the prices valid on this date.
- Inclusion criteria: only active offers, with a displayed price (62,773 products). The difference analysis only included products present in at least three chains (7,991 products) and with a minimum price of at least 5 lei, so that the percentage differences are not distorted by very cheap products.
- Product matching: the correspondences between chains go through a validation system; uncertain matches (different gram weight, different concentration, different packaging form) were excluded from the analysis.
- Indicator used: the percentage difference between the maximum and the minimum price, relative to the minimum price. As a representative value we report the median, not the mean — the mean (82.4%) is strongly influenced by extreme cases.
- Typical basket: the 20 most compared products, each listed by at least five chains, summed once at the minimum prices and once at the maximum prices.
Limitations
- Prices change daily; the figures above are a snapshot on 10 June 2026, not a permanent ranking.
- The price displayed online may differ from the shelf price in the physical pharmacy.
- Checkout promotions, loyalty card discounts and local offers are not included.
- The analysis covers the chains that publish their prices online; independent pharmacies are not included in the comparison.
Why such large differences exist — and why they are legal
In Romania, the prices of prescription medicines are capped: the Ministry of Health publishes in the CANAMED catalogue the maximum prices that may be charged, and pharmacies cannot exceed them. By contrast, for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, food supplements, dermocosmetics and the rest of pharmacy products, the price is free — each retailer sets it themselves, exactly as in any other retail segment.
The large differences documented by this study appear precisely in the free-price area and are perfectly legal. They reflect different commercial policies: price positioning, operating costs, negotiations with distributors, volume-versus-margin strategies. The study does not suggest any incorrect practice by any chain — it only shows that, for the consumer, "the same product" does not mean "the same price".
What it means for the consumer
The practical conclusion is simple: for over-the-counter products, comparing prices before buying is not a whim but a measurable saving.
- Compare before you buy, especially expensive or repeatedly bought products (long treatments, supplements, products for children). At a median difference of 41.4%, the savings add up quickly.
- Don't rely on a single "always cheap" chain — even the chain most often at the minimum covers only 41.2% of the minimums; in the rest of the cases, another chain has the lowest price. Check per product.
- Ask about variants with the same active substance (INN): for many over-the-counter products there are cheaper equivalents, and the pharmacist can guide you.
- Do not change a prescribed treatment on price grounds without discussing it with your doctor or pharmacist — this study is about prices, not medical advice.
Product prices can be compared for free between chains on HartaFarmacii — search for a product: each product page shows the chains' offers, the price history and the alternatives with the same active substance.
Frequently asked questions
- Is it legal for the same medicine to have such different prices?
- Yes, for over-the-counter products. OTCs, supplements and dermocosmetics have free pricing. Only prescription medicines have maximum prices, set through the Ministry of Health's CANAMED catalogue.
- Which is the cheapest pharmacy in Romania?
- There is no single answer. In the analysis of 10 June 2026, Dr. Max most often displayed the minimum price (41.2% of the minimums), followed by Spring Farma (20.4%) and Farmacia Tei (11.0%) — but for each individual product the order differs. The only correct method is comparison per product.
- Is the online price the same as in the pharmacy?
- Not always. The study uses the prices publicly displayed online by the chains; the shelf price may differ, and local promotions are not included. The figures are a comparison benchmark, not a price guarantee.
- How much can one realistically save?
- For the typical basket of 20 products analysed, the difference between the "everything at the minimum price" variant (912.73 lei) and "everything at the maximum price" (1,824.30 lei) is over 900 lei. In practice no one buys the whole basket at maximum prices — but even for a single product, the typical difference of 41.4% justifies a 30-second search.
- May I use the figures from this study?
- Yes, with attribution: "HartaFarmacii.ro data". For the dataset, charts or additional breakdowns (by category, by chain), write to us at contact@hartafarmacii.ro.
Data for press and researchers
This study is published as an open resource. Journalists and researchers may freely cite the figures, with attribution to HartaFarmacii.ro and, online, with a link to this page. The aggregated data, the full tables and the charts are available on request, at contact@hartafarmacii.ro. The analysis may be repeated periodically, with the same methodology, so that the evolution of price differences can be tracked over time.