Medicine in Spain

L1011

Deleted User wrote: »

You should not be otc medication long term. In that case, you are only treating the symptom, not the underlying condition.

Of course, but my point is that the pharmacist should be trusted to make the decision on sale for more products than they currently are.

Seeing as we have highly addictive painkillers available OTC at the pharmacists discretion, I'm surprised that many other things which are either OTC or even general sales in other EU countries are still POM.

HurtLocker

unkel wrote: »

For all the people wondering what site I bought off: pharmacyfirst.co.uk

32 pack of Aspirin £0.28 incl. VAT

Did they arrive?

crazygeryy

[Deleted User] wrote: »

That's completely illegal. you should tell your local pharmacist. They will pass the information onto the GPhC.

yea hang on a minute and ill get my car keys ffs.
what pharmacys are doing to people in this country is illegal and immoral.
they are ripping people off left right and center.

crazygeryy

crazygeryy wrote: »

yea hang on a minute and ill get my car keys ffs.
what pharmacys are doing to people in this country is illegal and immoral.
they are ripping people off left right and center.

By making a living? Do you how many more hospital admissions and drug related deaths there would be every year if it were not for pharmacists. It is most definitely not illegal. The prices are set by wholesalers (mainly), not the pharmacies.
I don't see how pharmacies are immoral. You can get free clinical advice in pharmacies thereby saving you having to pay an unnecessary visit to the doctors.

Damien360

[Deleted User] wrote: »

By making a living? Do you how many more hospital admissions and drug related deaths there would be every year if it were not for pharmacists. It is most definitely not illegal. The prices are set by wholesalers (mainly), not the pharmacies.
I don't see how pharmacies are immoral. You can get free clinical advice in pharmacies thereby saving you having to pay an unnecessary visit to the doctors.

Not quite true on wholesaler setting price. I work for one such wholesaler and the drug price is set by the manufacturer. The wholesaler adds a small profit margin of around 10% up to a maximum agreed figure set by government which is around 13% from memory. After that the pharmacist adds a bit more and that gives you selling price.

The manufacturer controls the price. This was pointed out a few months ago during government and wholesale negotiations when questions were raised about price differences in various countries.

Ourselves and uk pay high prices because our health service pays for most of the drugs under medical card scheme. Spain pays for nothing and the drug will not sell unless appropriately priced for consumer.

Countries such as sweden pay a European average fit their drugs and this is why manufacturers want higher uk and Irish prices. If we drop price then the average drops and many other countries pay less. If you remember, the manufacturers threathened to leave ireland if we tried to collapse price of the medicines . This was pointed out by government.

crazygeryy

[Deleted User] wrote: »

By making a living? Do you how many more hospital admissions and drug related deaths there would be every year if it were not for pharmacists. It is most definitely not illegal. The prices are set by wholesalers (mainly), not the pharmacies.
I don't see how pharmacies are immoral. You can get free clinical advice in pharmacies thereby saving you having to pay an unnecessary visit to the doctors.

Im not saying the service they provide isn't good. it is.but the prices they charge are scandalous.and I'm sure most people would agree with me.
the pharmacy cartel that operates in this country are a powerful group. if they wanted to do something about prices I'm sure they could,no problem.

why should i pay 4 odd euro for 12 paracetemol when i can get them online for 65 pence.not a chance.

keithclancy

scudzilla wrote: »

I never take them on a regular basis, just when i need them, maybe once or twice a year, if that. Just found it handy to have them in and at 3/4quid a packet

That's regularly.

You should let your immune system fight it off rather than use antibiotics every time you have an infection.

If your taking antibiotics every year your basically making them useless for when you'll actually need them.

The last time I took antibiotics was around 10/11 years ago

former legend

The_Conductor wrote: »

There are proposals for an EU equivalent of the US FDA which could greatly simplify the process of approving medications EU wide. Its been rebutted several times- too many vested interests- but its still under negotiation.

Oh dear. This was actually established in 1995 and has been giving out EU-wide licences for many years.

The_Conductor wrote: »

The government here has been hauled up in the EU courts over the closed pharmaceutical market (the same as its been hauled up for VRT on cars etc). We're not unique in this regard (Denmark is cited in almost every case against Ireland- as a third party to any binding decisions- as their markets are even more restricted than ours).

Restricted how? We have the least regulated pharmacy sector in Europe and Ireland is subject to the same free-trade laws as the rest of Europe. Do you have facts on this or just a general chip on your shoulder?

whiteandlight

Random question here but what's to stop the HSE telling the companies to F off and buying in the drugs from other countries who have agreements with them? If they are provided at a lower price in other countries it might work our for the HSE

rovoagho

Someone earlier in the thread claimed that the pharmas threatened to pull out of the country if they did that. As if they weren't pulling out already, for years now.

Tar.Aldarion

Who cares if they pull out when they can just be replaced?

The_Conductor

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Who cares if they pull out when they can just be replaced?

Just be replaced?
Lol- if only that were the case.
We've given no end of incentives to them to get them to setup facilities here- we need every job we can keep- we can't afford to throw any good jobs out the window, just to make a hypothetical point.

churrusco2

I see some misconceptions here. Can't blame you though as the Spanish health system is quite complex.

First, those saying 0% are absolutely correct when putting that 0% in the context of the OP case. OP is not getting any subsidy on its medicines because he does not have a Spanish national health card. As simply as that. Spanish subsidies on medicines to pharmacies are applied *after* the medicament is sold and are linked to those health cards. And actually that's the main reason why so many Spanish pharmacies are broken, because the government pays them back with many months of delay, sometimes more than a year.

On the percentages point you are just partially correct. In Spain, only active workers and people receiving the unemployment subsidy pay 40%-60%. Then if you are a long term unemployed (+1.5 yrs) you pay nothing. If you are a pensioner, you pay nothing. If you are a socially excluded person, have problems with drugs, and many other particular cases, you pay nothing. If you have a cronical illness you pay just 4€ per prescription, ...

So there is many cases in which that Tysabri would actually cost 0€

sandin wrote: »

In Spain Consumer pays 40% of price, Government pays 60% on all medicines.

In Ireland, those on medical card pay 1.50 no matter what the cost, gov pays balance.

Those without medical cards pay a MAXIMUM of €144 per month per family (children under 18 or under 23 if they are in college) and government pays the rest.

As I've said before - cheap medicines are cheaper for non medical card holders in spain, but expensive medicines are way cheaper here.

e.g. MS drug Tysabri - Annual cost = about €25,000.
In Spain you will pay €10,000 per year, in Ireland you will pay a maximum of €1,728 and every other medicine your family requires would cost zero.

So looking at the bigger picture, I'd rather pay a little more for aspirin and know that any major drug will not cost me more than €144 a month.

Soarer

We get screwed every which way. If it's not "prescription" drugs, it's something else.

Just keep bending over guys!

Tar.Aldarion

The_Conductor wrote: »

Just be replaced?
Lol- if only that were the case.
We've given no end of incentives to them to get them to setup facilities here- we need every job we can keep- we can't afford to throw any good jobs out the window, just to make a hypothetical point.

You think, that if there were no pharmacies here, that they would not be replaced? Free money.

Kurtosis

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

You think, that if there were no pharmacies here, that they would not be replaced? Free money.

I think rovoagho's comment above is regarding pharmaceutical companies, rather than pharmacies.

The_Conductor

penguin88 wrote: »

I think rovoagho's comment above is regarding pharmaceutical companies, rather than pharmacies.

That was my interpretation too- correct me if I'm wrong.

Tar.Aldarion

I had thought it was pharmacies! pharmas was not the best choice of word

keithclancy

Soarer wrote: »

We get screwed every which way. If it's not "prescription" drugs, it's something else.

Just keep bending over guys!

At least you don't have to pay to go to the Toilet like in Germany/The Netherlands.

Motor Tax / Fuel and cars are a good bit cheaper in Ireland also.

Never mind over half your money going out in Tax/Government Charges and Health Insurance.

Leaving out the Water Defence Charge, Standing Charge, Water per Cublic Meter, Electricity/Gas is more expensive.

In Germany you have the Solidarity Tax, Catholic Tax and so on ..

Taxed up the hole so we are

On the other side at least theres public transport to speak of.

Move to Germany and when you have to pay 3 months rent in Advance just to move into a place let me know if its not a rip off.

Soarer

Cars are cheaper in Ireland than in Germany?

keithclancy

Soarer wrote: »

Cars are cheaper in Ireland than in Germany?

Yup, even worse in the Netherlands, people that move from Ireland/The UK keep their car on Irish/UK plates for as long as possible.

rocky

Soarer wrote: »

Cars are cheaper in Ireland than in Germany?

keithclancy wrote: »

Yup, even worse in the Netherlands, people that move from Ireland/The UK keep their car on Irish/UK plates for as long as possible.

Ireland: New Golf from 20k
Germany: New Golf from 17.175,00 €

rovoagho

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I had thought it was pharmacies! pharmas was not the best choice of word

It's commonplace.

Greenmachine

I must look into prices in the north. Can anyone point me to the cost of prescription medicines in the north. My prescription costs exceed the €144. Money I can't afford to pay.

paddydriver

Greenmachine wrote: »

I must look into prices in the north. Can anyone point me to the cost of prescription medicines in the north. My prescription costs exceed the €144. Money I can't afford to pay.

+1 - My wife is shelling out the €144 p/m too and this thread is really making me frustrated! My bro in law is pharmacist and even when he looks at all generics and tries to shave it down as best as possible, its still over the €144.. Crazy stuff.

Thinking of sending copy of prescription to friend in Derry and asking him what he can get it for us for.

IRCA

Hi everyone,

I've been able to get my prescription from a UK Online Pharmacy (Basic Asthma medication) without the need for a doctors prescription here (saving me a vist ot the GP €65 and repeat prescripiton charge €30). Costs me approx €10 to have an inhaler delivered (free delivery via UPS). Have used many times and they are 100% reputable and genuine. You can also email/fax your prescription to them and they will quote you a price. I know it may not suit everyone, for me it has saved me a visit to the GP and the meds are delivered in 2/3 days.

I'm not affiliated in anyway with them - here's their website

www.healthexpress.co.uk

Do a search on the web and you can usually get a 5 or 10% discount code for them.

former legend

IRCA wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I've been able to get my prescription from a UK Online Pharmacy (Basic Asthma medication) without the need for a doctors prescription here (saving me a vist ot the GP €65 and repeat prescripiton charge €30). Costs me approx €10 to have an inhaler delivered (free delivery via UPS). Have used many times and they are 100% reputable and genuine. You can also email/fax your prescription to them and they will quote you a price. I know it may not suit everyone, for me it has saved me a visit to the GP and the meds are delivered in 2/3 days.

I'm not affiliated in anyway with them - here's their website

www.healthexpress.co.uk

Do a search on the web and you can usually get a 5 or 10% discount code for them.

The caveat here is that mail order of medicines is illegal in Ireland; if Customs realise that it's a medicine, they'll confiscate and destroy it.

Esel

keithclancy wrote: »

At least you don't have to pay to go to the Toilet like in Germany/The Netherlands.

I'm sure people here would be happy to pay a modest fee to have proper public toilet facilities.

keithclancy wrote: »

Taxed up the hole so we are

That obviates the need for public toilets, then....

The_Conductor

Esel wrote: »

I'm sure people here would be happy to pay a modest fee to have proper public toilet facilities.

That obviates the need for public toilets, then....

Lots of places in Ireland charge a small cover charge to use toilet facilities, which in turn pays for keeping them clean (and appealing). If you have young children in nappies, and you're out and about at all- you learn to seek out these places- they're a revelation, and a godsend. Even if you have to have 20c or 50c to use them- its the best money that you'll spend that day.

Anyhow- we're gone totally off topic.

With respect of buying medications from other EU countries- its perfectly legal to do so- so long as you don't send them via the postal system/courier- and they have to be for personal use. We've established this.

Mustard1972

just back from a mini break in Spain and we arranged with the pharmacist over there to post us some ongoing medication that my son needs.
it will work out have the price of what it costs us in Ireland every month. it was a quick and painless process.

We have an apartment over there so the pharmacist actually said it to us since we are into him every trip for the medication anyway and he knows us.

we didn't know you could do that.
All they needed was our prescription , passport and a credit card.