Download Medicines up to 27 times dearer in Ireland than they are in Britain

Sunday Business Post*
Sunday, 27 July 2014
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Medicines up to 27times dearer in
Ireland than they are in Britain
BY SUSAN MITCHELL
medicines, including drugs to Patient groups called on health first reference prices set. It said
treat dementia, cancer, asthma, minister Leo Vardakar to act. the “policy of the State is to
psychiatric conditions
“The Alzheimer Society of progressively reduce prices
and high cholesterol.
Ireland would like to see Ministerto the lowest possible commensurate
The HSE is paying drug companies The HSE is paying €20 for
Varadkar tackle the cost
with security of
the Donepezil (brand name of drugs,” said Tina Leonard supply.”
up to 27 times as much
Aricept), which is used by of the Alzheimer’s Association
as Britain’s National Health
Last year legislation which
Service pays for the same genericpatients with dementia. The of Ireland.
provided for the introduction
drugs.
NHS is paying just €1.56 for
“The fact that the HSE is of a system of generic substitution
This is despite the Irish government
the same generic drug.
paying almost 20 times what
and reference pricing
enacting legislation
Over the course of one the NHS pays for anti-dementia for authorised medicines,
aimed at curbing high prices. year, the HSE will pay €863
drug Donepezil is both astonishing
began.
The HSE has used new
for a patient on the psychiatric
and maddening,”
It allows pharmacists to
legislation to set a ‘reference drug Olanzapine (brand name she added.
substitute a less-expensive
Zyprexa). The NHS will pay
price’ for 20 of the most commonly
Dr Panos Kanavos, an expert generic version for a branded
prescribed generic and €31.80 over the same period.
in health policy at the
drag. The HSE sets one price,
off patent medicines.
The HSE is paying €8.40 London School of Economics,
called the reference price, it
Yet,the new reference prices for Omeprazole (brand name said Ireland was “definitely
will pay for groups of interchangeable
Zanpiol) used to treat stomach overpaying for mature drugs”.
in Ireland remain significantly
medicines.
higher for a range of acid. The NHS is paying €1.58.
The HSEsaid these were the See page 11
HEALTH
CORRESPONDENT