James Leonard
Ceist:52 Mr. Leonard asked the Minister for Health the value of drugs and medicines imported which could be supplied by home manufacturers. [5711/96]
Written Answers. - Drug and Medicine Imports.
Limerick East): The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available and any estimate of the value of drugs and medicines which could be supplied by the indigenous pharmaceutical industry would be somewhat speculative. The indigenous pharmaceutical industry is principally involved in the manufacture of generic medicines and a possible pointer as to the potential for increasing the value of medicines supplied by this sector would be to examine available information on expenditure on prescription medicine in the general medical services scheme. The ingredient cost of prescription medicine in the GMS in 1995 was £122.5 million. Approximately 30 per cent of expenditure on medicines prescribed in the GMS relates to products which have a generic equivalent which would represent an ingredient cost value of £36.75 million if a generic was prescribed in all cases. The value of generic medicines prescribed under the scheme in 1995 represented about one half of this figure which would suggest a potential for increase of the value of medicines supplied by the indigenous industry.