Sir, – Mr Philip Hannon of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association may be correct in stating that the price of drugs in this country is more or less the same as that in the rest of Europe. But in France last year I had to purchase my medication. I was pleasantly surprised as it cost almost half the Irish price.
My receipt gave the cost of each item. On returning, I checked with the HSE as to the recommended prices. They were within cents of the French price. The difference, I was informed, is a dispensing fee. It seems that the product mark-up, while sufficient profit for the French pharmacy, is not enough for the Irish pharmacy.
The receipt from my local pharmacy only gave a total amount.
On querying this, I was told that, unlike the rest of the retail sector, they do not have to give an individual cost breakdown.
If the Irish pharmacies were more like their French counterparts, there would be sufficient funds to meet patient’s requirements. – Yours, etc,