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Patients save €1,000 buying drugs
over Border
10.08.12
Six heart drugs: €18
in North V €96 in Republic
PRIVATE patients are flocking over the Border to buy
their prescription drugs in the North at a fraction
of what they pay at home.
Heart patients who don't have medical cards, can
save up to 80 euro on a month's supply of six
commonly prescribed cardiac drugs by having their
prescriptions dispensed in the North.
This is the savings equivalent of about 960 euro in
a year despite the unfavourable currency exchange
rate. One particular drug in the Republic can cost
four times the total price of the six drugs combined
in the North.
Two chemists in Co Donegal quoted a total price of
96.54 euro and 96 euro, respectively, for a month’s
supply of Aspirin, Clopidogrel, Simvastatin,
Bisoprolol, Ramipril and a Glyceryl Trinitrate
spray. Two chemists in Derry, by contrast, quoted
just £14 (17.80 euro) and £17 (21.61 euro)
respectively for a month's supply of the same six
drugs. Another Derry chemist quoted £30 (38.14 euro)
for the six.
The major savings reflects a recent report revealing
that the HSE is paying 12 times more for drugs than
the NHS in Britain. Talks are due to begin next week
aimed at significantly reducing the State drugs
bill.
General manager of Bradley's chain of pharmacies in
the North, John McArdle, says many patients are
travelling from the Republic for their
prescriptions.
"People in the know have been doing it for years but
the majority of patients wouldn't know they can get
this service in the North,” said Mr McArdle.
“The fact that we are all part of the EU means that
legislatively there is no issue with it and the
numbers are growing every year.” He acknowledged,
however, that pharmacists in the South are paying
more for drugs and he cautioned against professional
pharmacy services being reduced to price alone.
"There is a difference in what we pay and what they
have to pay, and we can pass those savings on as a
result."
Private patients in the Republic also have access to
the Drugs Repayment Scheme which caps what they have
to pay at €132 per month.
The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) said community
pharmacists have "no role" in the base price of
medicines which are set, by agreement, between the
HSE and the major pharmaceutical manufacturers.
"A report produced for the HSE expressed the view
that international comparisons of prices cannot be
relied on as each market is different in terms of
size, structure and regulations," said an IPU
spokesperson.
"Prices vary from pharmacy to pharmacy and patients
will go to the pharmacy that best suits their needs
not alone in terms of price but also in terms of the
nature of the professional service that they
receive.
"Over the past two years there have been numerous
cuts to the price of medicines in Ireland. This has
led to a significant decrease in the cost of
commonly prescribed medicines. All of these
reductions have been passed on to patients," added
the spokesperson. |
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