Are the prices of prescription drugs regulated?

[jimbo]

Does anyone know if the prices of prescription drugs are regulated. Do they vary from one chemist to another. Ho does one identify which chemists are cheapest?

 

[ClubMan]

Re: Prices of Prescription Drugs

Does anyone know if the prices of prescription drugs are regulated. Do they vary from one chemist to another.

They are not price controlled. The prices vary.

Ho does one identify which chemists are cheapest?

Visit or ring around a few and ask. Also ask what dispensing charges might apply.

In case it's relevant your regular monthly expenditure on drugs should be capped at €85 under the [broken link removed]. If you are paying more than this then ask your pharmacist for info about clauiming under this scheme.

 

[Protocol]

Re: Prices of Prescription Drugs

The cost of prescription drugs is negotiated between the Govt and the drug suppliers, and is based on a basket of drug prices from other countries.

The wholesalers can then add 15% margin.

The pharmacies sell at this price, plus a dispensing fee, if you have a medical card.

They add a 50% margin if its a private patient or the DPS.

So there is very little price competition.

 

[Danmo]

Re: Prices of Prescription Drugs

My husband has a monthly prescription. He was collecting his drugs at chemist no.1 for a couple of years at €85 per month under the DPS. His dosage was reduced and his prescription now costs €76 per month. He started collecting his prescription at chemist #2 (which is closer to home) two months ago but they are charging €85. He is also getting less drugs i.e. in chemist one they were supplying 30 days where in chemist 2 he gets 28 days of the same drug but it's costing more. When he queried the difference in price he was told that it was impossible that he was paying €76 since one of his drugs alone costs €120. The pharmacist got quite agressive so my husband said he would look into it further. He rang the HSE and they said that if the drugs come to less than €85 they should charge less but chemist 2 seems to be just charging us €85 anyway. It may not seem a lot but this adds up over the course of the year. Could it be just that they are charging more for dispensing? Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

[Mel]

Re: Are the prices of prescription drugs are regulated?

I've heard that the DPS is being dropped by pharmacists from December 1st and that all drugs will have to be reclaimed on the MED1?
The reason that was given is that the HSE has dropped teh wholesalers discount for pharmacists and that it will cost them more to buy the drugs than they will be reimbursed by the GMS?
Anyone know anything about this?

 

[Protocol]

Re: Are the prices of prescription drugs are regulated?

See here:

[broken link removed]

 

[Protocol]

Re: Are the prices of prescription drugs are regulated?

The HSE have planned to tackle the excessive drug prices in Irl in three ways.

Last year they negotiated with the manufacturers to reduce the prices of generic drugs.

This year they reduced the 17.64% profit margin paid to wholesalers. They plan to now pay pharmacies the ex-factory price plus 7-8-9%.

Here's a numerical example:

Say a drug leaves the factory at the agreed price of 100. The wholesaler adds a 17.64% margin. The list price to the pharmacy is 117.64.

Another example: a drug costs 85 ex-factory, the wholesale margin is 15, and the list price to the pharmacy is 100.

However, the pharmacies get trade discounts, and really pay less, i.e. the wholesaler is sharing their margin with the pharmacy.

In my first example, the pharmacy actually pays about 109, not 117.64.

So the HSE have decided to reimburse the pharmacies at the rate of cost + 8%, i.e. 108 euro.

This should not affect the pharmacies as they have already been paying about 108 for the drug.

 

[Protocol]

Re: Are the prices of prescription drugs are regulated?

Also see here:

[broken link removed]

 

[outperform]

Re: Are the prices of prescription drugs are regulated?

In my first example, the pharmacy actually pays about 109, not 117.64.

So the HSE have decided to reimburse the pharmacies at the rate of cost + 8%, i.e. 108 euro.

This should not affect the pharmacies as they have already been paying about 108 for the drug.

But the pharmacy was being reimbursed 117.64 and is now being reimbursed 108 euro. Therefore gross profit is more than halved. I would say that would affect pharmacies.

 

[outperform]

Re: Prices of Prescription Drugs

His dosage was reduced and his prescription now costs €76 per month. He started collecting his prescription at chemist #2 (which is closer to home) two months ago but they are charging €85.

If the prescription only costs €76, the pharmacy shouldn't charge any more. Two possibilities:1. One of the two pharmacies charged the incorrect amount. (it looks like the first pharmacy has undercharged - or else some other medication was got earlier in the calendar month to reduce the bill below €85) 2. A more expensive brand is being used.
Ask the new pharmacy to list out the price of the medication.

in chemist one they were supplying 30 days where in chemist 2 he gets 28 days of the same drug

The pharmacy shouldn't have any reasonable objection to supplying 30 days - or even 31 - if you ask nicely!

Could it be just that they are charging more for dispensing?

The fees are set by the HSE for the DPS scheme so this isn't the case.

 

[Protocol]

Re: Are the prices of prescription drugs are regulated?

Outperform,

yes, the pharmacy did get 116.74 from the HSE. But it did not pay this to the wholesaler, as it got a trade discount. It paid maybe 108.

So the trade discount became the pharmacies profits, on top of their normal retail margin.

Now, the plan is to reimburse the pharmacy just 108.

What I suppose should happen is that the wholesalers should cut their margin to 8%, and not give any discount to the pharmacy.

 

[damson]

Re: Are the prices of prescription drugs are regulated?

Saw this [broken link removed]:

If you allow me I will explain as simply as I can how the system works for medical card prescriptions. An item that costs 100€ at the factory gate has a pharmaceutical wholesalers margin of 17% added on for distribution costs by the pharmaceutical wholesalers. The retail pharmacist pays €117 for the item and when he dispenses it he gets €3 fee so the HSE pays the pharmacist €120 (117€ cost price + €3 fee). What the HSE is proposing is giving only 8% to the pharmaceutical wholesalers. So in theory the pharmacist would pay €108 in the example above. Hpowever the pharmaceutical distributors have refused to reduce their margin claiming (quite rightly) that the service would suffer, so they will continue to charge €117 for the item above. The result is that the pharmacist pays €117 and gets €108 in return. One does not have to be an accountant to see that this is an absurd situation. The HSE is refusing to meet representative bodies to discuss the matter. According to the HSE there is nothing to discuss.

On this basis, the pharmacists' protests seem justified, although the problem is indirectly rather than directly of the HSE's making.