Switching to generic drugs can cut monthly bills by €50
Saturday November 21 2009
Patients can make savings of nearly €50 a month by switching from branded to generic versions of some drugs, new figures reveal.
Although the price difference varies for many common drugs, the gap is significant for the Alzheimer's disease medicine Aricept, which costs €101.61 in branded form but €53.71 for the generic version.
In another example, figures obtained by the Irish Independent show a difference of over €11 in the ulcer medicine Protium -- €31.44 versus €20.04.
Tony Hynds, of the Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (APMI), which makes generic drugs, admitted they were not as cheap as in Britain but said this was due to the small volume sold here.
He said only around 3pc of doctors' prescriptions were for generic drugs and they account for only 12pc of the market.
Mr Hynds predicts that when the Department of Health introduces a system of reference pricing next year -- reimbursing private patients for only the generic version -- the prices will drop and patients will see considerable decreases in their bills.
Asked why so many doctors were still writing prescriptions for branded drugs, he said: "Old habits die hard."
Under the system of reference pricing, it will be up to the pharmacist to decide on the form of drug dispensed to the patient, and if a patient wants the expensive branded variety, they must pay the difference.
However, even before this system is introduced, there is nothing to stop doctors just writing down the active ingredient in a prescription, giving the pharmacist the discretion to dispense a branded or generic version.
However, if a doctor writes a prescription for a branded drug, the pharmacist must dispense this version and cannot make a switch to a generic alternative.
Dr Ronan Boland, of the Irish Medical Organisation, said in several cases the price difference was very small, although it was 20pc to 25pc in others.
But doctors need to weigh the small savings in some cases against confusing a patient with a generic medicine which, although exactly the same as the original, looks different.
Dr Boland said it was time for a more collaborative approach to ensure savings of up to €300m in the drugs bill.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
Irish Independent
