Healthcare costs - not insurance High cost of drugs in Ireland.

Approved drugs and medicines​

Drugs and medicines must be approved and controlled before they can be sold. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) tests drugs and medicines for safety, quality and efficacy and provides licenses. HPRA approval does not mean that the drugs and medicines will be approved for the free and subsidised schemes. There are other factors involved in the approval process, including costs.
 
Why on earth would anyone pay dispensing fees to a pharmacist for meds that they can buy over the counter for a few euro a pop without prescription?
 

The Health Products Regulatory Authority

We regulate medicines and devices for the benefit of people and animals.
www.hpra.ie

Our Role​

  • Our aim is to make sure that medicines are as safe as possible and do what they are intended to do.
  • We grant licences for medicines following a review of their safety, quality and effectiveness. The decision to grant a licence is based on a review of applications submitted by pharmaceutical companies and involves an evaluation of the benefit/risk profile. All medicines have some risks associated with their use - known as side effects. However, the benefits of using a medicine should always outweigh the potential risks.
  • Some medicines are licensed by the European Medicines Agency /European Commission which means they can be marketed across the EU. The decision to grant these licences is based on an evaluation by experts from the national authorities including representatives from the HPRA.
  • Once a medicine is available for people to use in Ireland, we continue to monitor its safety, quality and effectiveness. This involves the operation of a national reporting system and inspection programme.
  • We encourage patients and healthcare professionals to report side effects, quality problems and other related issues to the HPRA through our website or by contacting us directly.
  • When new safety or quality information emerges we ensure that healthcare professionals are informed and when necessary new prescribing and dispensing advice is issued. Where appropriate, we will also highlight this information to the general public.
  • Where we identify a significant safety or quality concern with a medicine, there are a range of regulatory actions we can take to protect public health. These include changes to the product information, safety notices, as well as suspensions or recalls.
  • We grant licences to the companies who make, distribute and market medicines in Ireland. This follows an onsite inspection to ensure compliance with relevant standards and legislation. Thereafter, we audit manufacturers and wholesalers on a regular basis as part of our on-going inspection programme.
  • We monitor the Irish market for the importation and/or online sale of counterfeit and illegal medicines as they can pose a serious health risk for people. The HPRA uses a range of enforcement powers to tackle this activity including seizing product and taking prosecutions.
  • Doctors and dentists are permitted to prescribe unauthorised medicines – known as exempt products – for individual patients under their care. We record and maintain a database of all such products that are used in Ireland.
 
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Hi Protocol

I had looked at that but couldn't find it.

So they get a European Medicines Agency license, then they can sell anywhere in the EU.

But I wonder why the pharmacist said that some are not available?

Maybe it's cheaper to get a license in the big markets individually.

Brendan
 
T McGibney said:
Why on earth would anyone pay dispensing fees to a pharmacist for meds that they can buy over the counter for a few euro a pop without prescription?
Click to expand...

Probably because they've a medical card. My in-laws do that ; cough mixture, asprin, sticks of barley sugar(!), you name it, just get the scrip from the GP and collect it from the pharmacist.
It's effectively free of charge because the €10 maximum monthly prescription charge per family for the over 70's makes it far cheaper than paying the cost of the meds over the counter.
 
Yes, I spoke to a GP once who had patients get appointments simply to get prescriptions for Calpol, even though Calpol is sold OTC.
 
Interesting article today:

New obesity medicines have potential to use up entire State drugs budget, conference hears

Current govt. drugs spend is over €3 billion per annum with 1% of drugs accounting for 40% of costs. Oncology and high-tech drugs are a huge proportion of this. Now weight control meds are adding to the bill.

Ozempic and the other new obesity medications are incredibly effective. If you know anyone using them you will see for yourself, it's a modern wonder drug with many benefits beyond weight loss.

I wonder if/when VHI, Laya, etc. will decide to cover these prescription charges in order to prevent obesity-related costs?
 
Protocol said:
Yes, I spoke to a GP once who had patients get appointments simply to get prescriptions for Calpol, even though Calpol is sold OTC.
Click to expand...
There is no need to get a GP appt to renew a script. I show up to get my regular observations & samples (bloods, urine, BP, resps, etc) taken by the practice nurse and while there, I request a renewal of my regular prescriptions. Most of these are every 3 months and my cancer meds every 6 months. 70+ with a medical card if that makes a difference.

I attend once or twice yearly appts with oncology, urology specialists, every two years with opticians, and others as required.
 
T McGibney said:
Why on earth would anyone pay dispensing fees to a pharmacist for meds that they can buy over the counter for a few euro a pop without prescription?
Click to expand...
I don't understand the confusion. If you read my whole post below the bit you bolded I was trying to explain that it can be just as cheap doing this method as buying over the counter medicine abroad. And a lot cheaper than buying it over the counter at most places at home. It works out at €1 (80c after tax back) per 15 400mg ibuprofen tablets (equivalent of 30 200mg tablets). Where are you going to get that price over the counter at home?
 
Your figures ignored the existence of the dispensing fees.

Some years ago I went into a pharmacy to buy medication that my doctor had prescribed and the pharmacist tipped me off that it was available over the counter, and that if I wanted to proceed with the prescription, the dispensing fee would make it considerably dearer. So I bought it without prescription.
 
I'm just talking about my experience with Chemist Warehouse. They have never added extra dispensing fees to my purchases. Anything I've bought that was €2.99 or €3.99 on prescription was exactly that. Maybe other pharmacies add that which is probably why they are often so much more expensive.
 
Marsupial said:
Probably because they've a medical card.
Click to expand...
It not just medical card holders that can benefit from this, if they are going to their Doctor a couple of times a year
Lots of people suffer from hay fever and use over the counter Flixanase or some other brand to help relive symptoms
but a prescription for Nasofan which is has twice the dosage and a few euros cheaper
Another is using Daktacort on prescription instead of an over the counter cream like Lamisil
Again twice the dosage and I think was about the same price, can't check as they have recently stopped manufacturing it

The best person to talk about this is not a Doctor but a Pharmacist, as they know more about the drugs they sell then the Doctors prescribing them!!
 
I got a reply from the HPRA

Dear Brendan,

Thank you for your email.

Products licensed by the European Medicines Agency(EMA) are considered licensed in all member states and do not require to go through a separate licensing process nationally.

Kind regards
HPRA Customer Service
 

All true, but I opened this thread by commenting on the cheapness of prescribed medications in Portugal vis-a-vis Ireland and I think that, irrespective of the comments that have followed, that remains the position!
 


Interesting.
So why aren't the own-brand cheaper OTC medicines for sale in TESCO or Boots in NI, available down south?
 
Nivarg said:
because they are not products licensed by the European Medicines Agency.
Click to expand...
I don’t think that’s the reason, EU pharmaceutical law applies to Northern Ireland since Brexit and prior to that applied to all Uk.
 
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