Madam, - Conor Pope's article on the cost to the consumer of prescription drugs (March 12th) is based on two central themes, firstly that the pharmacist charges an excessive mark-up and secondly that there is reluctance among the profession to dispense generic alternatives.
Mr Pope has overlooked important factual considerations with regard to each of these themes: in relation to mark-up, he neglects to mention that the pharmacist receives a mark up of zero on medical card prescriptions, which can often constitute the majority of a pharmacy's business.
In relation to dispensing of generic alternatives, it should be made clear that if, on a prescription, the doctor specifies a particular branded medication, eg, Prozac or Lipostat, then the pharmacist is obliged to dispense that brand and cannot give a generic. Therefore much of the potential for generic substitution is out of the hands of the pharmacist.
In the interests of balanced reporting, the above facts should be considered. - Yours, etc,
CONOR O'DONOVAN BSc (Pharm), MPSI,
Coolmine,
Dublin 15.