Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 October 2013
146. Deputy Emmet Stagg asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 201 of 9 October 2013, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that purinethol costs €6.12 in Spain and the Canary Islands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43759/13]
View answerAs I indicated in my previous reply, the prices of drugs vary between countries for a number of reasons, including different prices set by manufacturers, different wholesale and pharmacy mark-ups, different dispensing fees and different rates of VAT. The size of the market can also be a factor in the prices set by manufacturers.
In October 2012, Aspen Pharma Trading Ltd informed the HSE that, following an examination of the viability of a number of product lines, it had decided to increase the price of Purinethol in Ireland and a number of other EU countries (including Germany, UK, Denmark and Finland).
The HSE engaged with the company in an attempt to negotiate a lower price, however, it was unwilling to do so. The HSE was faced with the choice of allowing increased pricing (in line with other international markets) or running the risk that the product would be withdrawn. Having regard to the importance of the product and the fact that Aspen Pharma Trading Ltd is the sole supplier to the Irish market, the HSE considered that a price increase was necessary to maintain supply and agreed to grant a price increase from 1 March 2013. Despite the price increase, no other supplier has chosen to enter the Irish market. Reversal of the price increase in the absence of an alternative supplier could result in the sole supplier exiting the market and patients being left without access to this medicine.
