Healthcare costs - not insurance High cost of drugs in Ireland.

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Marsupial

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The Missus and I are just back from our annual holiday in the Algarve.

While there, we filled 12 months' of our prescriptions; prescriptions that would have cost about €840 in Ireland, but cost only €280 in Portugal.
So our saving was in the region of €560. And allowing for the 20% tax refund on the cost of medications, the net saving was about €400.
The cost of our two return flights was under €400, so the saving paid for our holiday flights! I find the price differential baffling and assume that it's the expensive downside of Ireland having so many pharma manufacturing companies in the country.

It's currently possible to book a return flight from Dublin to Faro for less than €55 (I didn't bother checking Lisbon or Porto). Anyone with a significant monthly medication bill should seriously consider enjoying a short break abroad, paid for by the saving on their medications! ;)
 
Marsupial said:
The Missus and I are just back from our annual holiday in the Algarve.

While there, we filled 12 months' of our prescriptions; prescriptions that would have cost about €840 in Ireland, but cost only €280 in Portugal.
So our saving was in the region of €560. And allowing for the 20% tax refund on the cost of medications, the net saving was about €400.
The cost of our two return flights was under €400, so the saving paid for our holiday flights! I find the price differential baffling and assume that it's the expensive downside of Ireland having so many pharma manufacturing companies in the country.

It's currently possible to book a return flight from Dublin to Faro for less than €55 (I didn't bother checking Lisbon or Porto). Anyone with a significant monthly medication bill should seriously consider enjoying a short break abroad, paid for by the saving on their medications! ;)
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I used to do this until Covid restrictions cut back my travels. My mother in law the recommended a pharmacy chain called Pure. They are much cheaper than other chemists in my experience. Worth a look to see if you can save on your prescription costs
 
I have done both - got scripts dispensed abroad (pre covid) and in Dublin not just gone with the closest chemist.

Pure Pharmacy deliver nationwide I think - you can email them for a quote.

Hilltop in Raheny, City Pharmacy on Dame Street are also cheaper than Boots, Lloyds, locals in my experience.
 
I recommend trying Chemist Warehouse. They are an Australian big box style discount pharmacy, using economies of scale to have what I've found usually the lowest prices around. They have a pricelist you can pick up in their stores of their most commonly sold drugs and you can price it up at home. They usually just give generics by default but always good to ask. Saved a lot of money with them vs other pharmacies.
 
Beachcomber said:
I used to do this until Covid restrictions cut back my travels. My mother in law the recommended a pharmacy chain called Pure. They are much cheaper than other chemists in my experience. Worth a look to see if you can save on your prescription costs
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Marsupial junior uses Pure, as do we from time to time for once-off meds. I would far prefer to support my local pharmacy.

But for whatever reason, the Portuguese option is significantly cheaper.
 
ClubMan said:
I don't understand this - maybe you can explain?
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I wish I could!

As I understand it, some government body (possibly within the HSE?) is responsible for negotiating the selling price of drugs in Ireland with the Pharm companies. And, it would appear, many of them play hardball with the said negotiation body on the basis of their presence in Ireland.
 
Yup, it's a sweetener to the Pharma companies you threaten to leave Ireland if the can't get a "good" price

This is baloney, of course, the excess profits on their Irish sales would be minimal in a European context
 
Marsupial said:
I wish I could!

As I understand it, some government body (possibly within the HSE?) is responsible for negotiating the selling price of drugs in Ireland with the Pharm companies. And, it would appear, many of them play hardball with the said negotiation body on the basis of their presence in Ireland.
Click to expand...
That theory doesn't really make any sense, The HSE and/or the government has no function whatsoever in dictating the prices at which Lidl or Tesco for example can sell paracetemol.

My understanding is that prices are inflated here by the additional licensing requirements and associated costs imposed by the Irish Medicines Board, and the small size of our market. Essentially if you have a product and you spend €x licensing it for the UK market of 65-odd million people, you then have to spend €y licensing it again for the Irish market of 5-odd million people.

An utter waste of money in most cases that ultimately for which the consumer has to stump up.
 
jpd said:
Yup, it's a sweetener to the Pharma companies you threaten to leave Ireland if the can't get a "good" price

This is baloney, of course, the excess profits on their Irish sales would be minimal in a European context
Click to expand...

Always inspirational to get an insider perspective on what's really going on :D.

One from the archives! https://www.irishtimes.com/news/hea...r-antiviral-drugs-to-treat-covid-19-1.4774225
(Guess what constituency Pfizer's big manufacturing plant is in - and then remember who was Taoiseach back in Jan 2022!)
 
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Marsupial said:
I wish I could!

As I understand it, some government body (possibly within the HSE?) is responsible for negotiating the selling price of drugs in Ireland with the Pharm companies. And, it would appear, many of them play hardball with the said negotiation body on the basis of their presence in Ireland.
Click to expand...

jpd said:
Yup, it's a sweetener to the Pharma companies you threaten to leave Ireland if the can't get a "good" price

This is baloney, of course, the excess profits on their Irish sales would be minimal in a European context
Click to expand...

Contrary to popular belief, the DoH/HSE are in fact shrewd negotiators to the point of stinginess. Many other countries in Europe pay more and so they are supplied first, hence current shortages.

T McGibney said:
That theory doesn't really make any sense, The HSE and/or the government has no function whatsoever in dictating the prices at which Lidl or Tesco for example can sell paracetemol.
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The low DoH/HSE reimbursement may affect the market so companies try to make bigger margins when supplying the retail sector, driving up over-the-counter prices.

Wholesalers also take a cut and there is a distribution oligopoly in Ireland.

One of the biggest factors is pharmacy mark-ups with huge variations between stores. There is such little transparency and no sign of that changing.
 
arbitron said:
The low DoH/HSE reimbursement may affect the market so companies try to make bigger margins when supplying the retail sector, driving up over-the-counter prices.

Wholesalers also take a cut and there is a distribution oligopoly in Ireland.

One of the biggest factors is pharmacy mark-ups with huge variations between stores. There is such little transparency and no sign of that changing.
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Accepted but none of that explains eg how Poundland/Dealz seem incapable of remotely replicating their 3 packs for £1 deals on own-brand paracetemol in the Republic, while almost everything else in their £1 product range in Northern Ireland can be picked up down here for €1.50.
 
T McGibney said:
Accepted but none of that explains eg how Poundland/Dealz seem incapable of remotely replicating their 3 packs for £1 deals on own-brand paracetemol in the Republic, while almost everything else in their £1 product range in Northern Ireland can be picked up down here for €1.50.
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In these cases they claim it is licensing costs as you mentioned.
 
You don't have to get over the counter pain killers or meds only over the counter. Next time you are in your doctor's you can ask for a prescription for paracetamol, ibuprofen etc or whatever it is you need for long term use. Then use that prescription at somewhere that will give good priced generics like Chemist Warehouse. I believe it was €4 for 60 400mg Ibuprofen tablets. The usual size is 200mg so it's like 120 tablets. Ends up at a similar price to cheap ones up the north which are like 30p for 10 200mg tablets and they only let you buy one packet per purchase as well due to them being regulated. You can even claim 80c tax back on the on the €4.
 
ClubMan said:
At a glance, the prices look about the same as, if not higher than, Chemist Warehouse's prices.
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Really? Looking at the latest CW catalogue, I see Perrigo Paracetamol 1.99 for 24 in both so about the same. It's a pity CW don't have more of their stock online for price checks, you can only browse whatever is in the catalogue at that time.

Although with Inish you have to spend a certain amount for free delivery. CW have more locations about the place e.g. Henry Street Dublin. CW is defo a better option for OTC than any other chemists in city centre based on those prices.
 
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arbitron said:
In these cases they claim it is licensing costs as you mentioned.
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In the context of OTC medicines, I would like to know more about this licensing.

If paracetamol is approved already, I presume at EU-level, what further licensing is required?

None, I would hope.

But it seems that existing packs of paracetamol for sale in the UK can't simply be exported to Ireland, and sold here?

Does anybody have more detail on this?
 
Protocol said:
If paracetamol is approved already, I presume at EU-level, what further licensing is required?

None, I would hope.
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My local pharmacist told me that many drugs which are available elsewhere in the EU are not available in Ireland as it's not worth their while applying for an Irish license. I was surprised at this as I had assumed if the EU had approved it, we should not add another layer of approval.

Brendan
 
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