Medicines Database

Details of all the medicinal products authorised to be placed on the market in Malta together with the product information are available on the Medicines Database. Should you wish to have a full list of all products, go to the Advanced Search tab and click on 'National Products'.  A list of all products registered nationally in Malta will be created in a worksheet form. For more information on centrally authorised products please refer to the European Medicines Agency website.

Please also note the registration status of products, which can be either 'Authorised' or 'Withdrawn'.  When an authorisation has been withdrawn, the product can no longer be imported into Malta.

Through the Medicines Database, you may:

  • Find whether a medicine is authorised to be placed on the market in Malta or not;
  • Find different products containing the same active ingredient/s;
  • Find different pharmaceutical formulations (e.g. tablets, syrups, etc.) of the same product or of an active ingredient;
  • Know whether a product requires a medical prescription or not (prescription only medicine, POM, or over-the-counter, OTC) for it to be dispensed by the pharmacist. The information on the pack of a medicinal product with respect to whether the product requires a prescription or not might be different to what is required in Malta, since packs may be shared with other countries. It is to be noted that the requirement for a prescription or not for the same medicinal product may vary in different countries. The information on the Medicines Database with respect to requirement of a medical prescription or not (POM or OTC) reflects what is required in Malta.

In spite of all the efforts made to deliver this information, we cannot exclude inadvertent errors or omissions; therefore you can use this page exclusively for information purposes only. This information has no validity for legal effects and the Medicines Authority is not responsible for any unauthorised or illegal use of the information supplied. The information contained in this list and in the summaries of product characteristics and package leaflets, is for general information purposes only; this information may be updated several times and therefore there could be differences between the version of the information shown here and other information in the public domain. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information, it is not possible to guarantee that it is complete, accurate and up-to-date. We will investigate immediately any errors which are brought to our attention.

Additional Information:

This glossary of terms explains the most important terms which are used throughout the list:

  • Product name
  • Active ingredient
  • WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System and Therapeutic Class
  • Pharmaceutical form
  • Classification as Prescription only Medicine (PoM) or Over the Counter medicine (OTC)
  • Authorisation Number in Malta
  • Authorisation Holder Name and Address

Product Name

This is the approved name of a medicinal product which is found on the medicine packaging and package leaflet of the product.

Active Ingredient

All medicines contain an active ingredient. Some medicinal products may contain more than one active ingredient. An active ingredient is the substance in a medicinal product that is biologically active i.e. produces the desired effect. It is also referred to as active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or active substance.

ATC Code and Therapeutic Class

The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System is used for the classification of medicines. It is controlled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (WHOCC), and was first published in 1976. The classification system divides medicines into different groups according to the organ or system on which they act and/or their therapeutic and chemical characteristics.

In this system, medicines are classified into groups according to the active substance and their indications.

Further information may be found on the WHO ATC website.

Pharmaceutical Form

The actual physical form in which the medicinal product is available to patients/consumers. There are several pharmaceutical forms the most common being tablets, capsules, creams, eye/ear drops, injections, inhalers and suppositories.

Classification (PoM/OTC)

This describes whether the medicinal product is a Prescription only Medicines (PoM) and therefore requires a prescription from a doctor or an Over The Counter product which may be dispensed by a pharmacist from pharmacies without the need of a prescription from a doctor.

Authorisation Number in Malta

Every medicinal product which is authorised to be placed on the market in Malta is given an authorisation number by the Medicines Authority.   The authorisation number should be present on the outer carton of the medicinal product.

Authorisation Holder Name and Address

This is the company responsible for placing the medicinal product on the market in Malta and its address.