THE DEPARTMENT of Health and drug manufacturers are close to a deal that could cut the State’s drugs bill by up to €400 million.
Yay!
Although the deal will save the HSE significant sums of money, its impact for consumers will be limited. This is because the prices of most generic drugs, which can range up to 94 per cent of those of their branded equivalents, are not affected.
The mark-up charged by pharmacists to private patients also remains unaffected. The prices Irish consumers pay for their medicines are among the highest in the world.
Oh.
Why trust one drug and not the other? That’s politics, innit?
State’s drug bill could fall by up to €400m under new deal (Paul Cullen, Irish Times)
