Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 Apr 1995

Vol. 451 No. 5

Written Answers. - Generic Drugs.

Séamus Hughes

Question:

94 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health the rate of price increase for generic drugs dispensed under the general medical service scheme by pharmacists as against the rate of inflation on an annual basis over the past five years; and the corresponding or similar brand-named drugs sold by pharmacists over the same period. [6882/95]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The prices, ex-manufacturer, of all drugs and medicines, whether generic or proprietary, in Ireland have been governed by a series of successive agreements between the Department of Health and the pharmaceutical industry for the last number of years.

The current agreement, which came into effect on 1 August 1993, provided for a price reduction of 3 per cent at date of introduction followed by a price freeze for a period of four years.

This agreement was preceded by the 1990 agreement which provided for a series of annual price realignments followed by a 12 month price freeze. When this agreement was introduced on 1 August 1990 it resulted in a reduction of approximately 10 per cent in the prices of all drugs and medicines on the Irish market. The annual price realignments which took place in August 1991 and August 1992 resulted in price increases of 1.7 per cent and of 0.36 per cent respectively.