Drug prescription - just wanted to share

Sesame

I just wanted to share a recent experience of buying a prescription with specifics about what it was.
I know its been raised in the media a fair amount recently, but I've never read a satisfactory reason as to why drug prices are so much more here.
I know the pharmacy's say its the drug companies who blame the taxes, etc.

I'm pregnant and suffering from the dreaded heartburn. On my last GP visit, he prescribed omeprazole. Its a daily tablet to prevent acid production.

My husband took prescription to the pharmacy and came back with 56 40mg tablets. Cost was €79. Sounded a little pricey to me. I wasn't expecting that so I went off down to the pharmacy myself and said to the pharmacist I really can't afford to pay that, can I be refunded?
In fairness to her, she said they don't usually refund prescriptions but she knew it was only just dispensed a few minutes before so she would refund it.
As I know presections abroad are cheaper and I was getting by on over the counter Gaviscon in the meantime, I asked GP's receptionist to tell me the drug name as I no longer had the prescription and took it with me on holidays to Spain a few weeks later.
This was last month. I was charged €8.30 for the same 56 40mg tablets. Different brand. This drug is out of patent.
That is just over 10% of the Irish price.
Can someone exactly explain why that is the case? I would love a proper explanation, I'm confounded!

sandin

yes, the spanish government subsidise ALL medicines to the tune of 60% - you onlky pay 40% of the cost price.

assuming you got a generic medicine, the cost price was about €21 of which you paid 8.30.

In ireland if the exact same generic medicine was available, you would probably have paid about €28 including prescription fee.


On the flip side - if you need an expensive drug that costs €500 a month, in Ireland the maximum you would pay is €150 and that would include ALL medicines for the family. In Spain, you would be paying €200 a month and still have to pay for all other medicines.

As Spain is part of the EU and little anomaly allows you to get the drug there with an Irish prescription under their subsidised pricing (paid for in taxes).

Geuze

Sesame wrote: »

Can someone exactly explain why that is the case? I would love a proper explanation, I'm confounded!

If you have the time, the answers are here:

http://www.esri.ie/publications/latest_publications/view/index.xml?id=3773

http://www.esri.ie/UserFiles/publications/RS32.pdf

Sesame

Thanks Sandin, I have heard that the Spanish government subsidise prescriptions. But in my case, I didn't have a prescription with me, only the name and quantity of the drug, so I don't think it was subsidised in this case. I could be wrong.
Yes it was a generic brand.
I don't know if the generic brand was what was offered in the Irish pharmacy. I didn't open the paper bag to check. Would be interesting to find out though to ge the complete picture and compare generic with generic. I thought that the cost of drug usually fell in line with the price of a generic once it was out of patent. I don't know much about these things, got to do some research (thanks for the link Geuze!)

I'm pleased the "anomaly" exists although sounds more like a fair open market, part of the benefit of being in the EU, than an anomaly.

sandin

sthere are changes due on Nov 1st that will see reference pricing (average eu pricing) on a huge number of generic medicines.

spanish gov subsidises all medicines at source

WhyTheFace

It's got nothing to do with the pharmacists once it gets to a certain level.

My local pharmacy has recently dropped the mark up and so sells all prescription drugs at what he pays + 7e.

Some pharmacies are cost + 50% so shop around.

When people harp on about the cost of drugs they need to realise it is the governments and drug companies that decide on cost prices. Nothing to do with the pharmacist.

Sesame

If thats true, it makes me wonder why my small town has 4 pharmacies and another just opened. (3 are within about 50 feet of eachother)There must be money to be made somehow!

WhyTheFace

Sesame wrote: »

If thats true, it makes me wonder why my small town has 4 pharmacies and another just opened. (3 are within about 50 feet of eachother)There must be money to be made somehow!

Then you are spoiled for choice.

First phone Boots (anywhere) and ask them what the price of a month's supply is.

This will be the cost price the pharmacist has to pay plus 7e.

This is the cheapest you can buy it at.

Then shop around and compare to the Boots price.

Assuming they are not all idiots, at least one should match the Boots price.

Of course, if small independents have to drop their price to meet Boots (i.e no longer charge a mark up) they won't be long going out of business and many local people will be out of work.

sandin

WhyTheFace wrote: »

It's got nothing to do with the pharmacists once it gets to a certain level.

My local pharmacy has recently dropped the mark up and so sells all prescription drugs at what he pays + 7e.

Some pharmacies are cost + 50% so shop around.

When people harp on about the cost of drugs they need to realise it is the governments and drug companies that decide on cost prices. Nothing to do with the pharmacist.

Again, watch what you need. a €10 prescription cost + 50% = €15, whereas €10 + €7 dispensing charge = €17.


In any case, from reports in papers, November 1st will see some big changes in generic pricing of the top twenty drugs - Atorvastatin, Anastrazole,Candesartan, Clopidogrel, Esomeprazole, Lansoprazole, Lercanidipine, Losartan, Olanzapine, Omeprazole, Pantoprazole, Perindopril, Pravastatin, Quetiapine, Rabeprazole, Ramipril, Risperidone, Rosuvastatin, Simvastatin and Valsartan.

So if the medical ingredient in your medicine is listed above, you'll see a large reduction in price of the generic version - and if the generic version drops in price, the branded version will too!

more details here http://www.imb.ie/EN/Human-Medicines/Generic-and-Interchangeable-Medicines.aspx

WhyTheFace

sandin wrote: »

Again, watch what you need. a €10 prescription cost + 50% = €15, whereas €10 + €7 dispensing charge = €17.

It doesn't work like that.

Those that charge a mark up also charge a dispensing fee, usually 4-5e instead of 7e.

So it would be 10+ 5 (mark up) + 5 (fee) = 20 vs 17e

For very cheap drugs, such as some contraceptives the traditional mark up model can work out cheaper.

Again, just shop around, ask for prices, request price match.

palmcut

sandin wrote: »

Again, watch what you need. a €10 prescription cost + 50% = €15, whereas €10 + €7 dispensing charge = €17.


In any case, from reports in papers, November 1st will see some big changes in generic pricing of the top twenty drugs - Atorvastatin, Anastrazole,Candesartan, Clopidogrel, Esomeprazole, Lansoprazole, Lercanidipine, Losartan, Olanzapine, Omeprazole, Pantoprazole, Perindopril, Pravastatin, Quetiapine, Rabeprazole, Ramipril, Risperidone, Rosuvastatin, Simvastatin and Valsartan.

So if the medical ingredient in your medicine is listed above, you'll see a large reduction in price of the generic version - and if the generic version drops in price, the branded version will too!

more details here http://www.imb.ie/EN/Human-Medicines/Generic-and-Interchangeable-Medicines.aspx[/QUOTE]

Only one drug will have a price change on 1/11/2013. Atorvastatin will have it's price "referenced" on the 1/11/13. The HSE have not yet announced the reference price.
The other 19 drugs will be reduced in price between the 1/11/13 and 1/5/14.
In Februaury of 2014 the IMB will announce a new list of an additional 20 drugs. The reference price for the second lot will commence around the 1/6/14 and should be completed by around 1/12/14.

imitation

sandin wrote: »

On the flip side - if you need an expensive drug that costs €500 a month, in Ireland the maximum you would pay is €150 and that would include ALL medicines for the family. In Spain, you would be paying €200 a month and still have to pay for all other medicines.

As Spain is part of the EU and little anomaly allows you to get the drug there with an Irish prescription under their subsidised pricing (paid for in taxes).

Yes, in fairness to the Irish system, if you have a long term illness or a few people with illnesses in the family it works out better than a lot of systems (better than the US where no insurance = screwed !)

I guess your health is your wealth has more than one meaning

sandin

Had to get my 1st prescription in over 2 years yesterday.

Avamys nasal spray (prescription only) - last time was over €40, UK is currently £28, yesterday it was €20.32 in local pharmacy!!

Is this a first?

L1011

Prices have fallen on practically every drug over the last these years.

chargerman

What's the story with getting prescriptions up in the northh? I heard people from the republic can bring their prescription over the border and get them at a fraction of the cost also

L1011

chargerman wrote: »

What's the story with getting prescriptions up in the northh? I heard people from the republic can bring their prescription over the border and get them at a fraction of the cost also

Most pharmacies will accept an ROI script. Some drugs are far cheaper, some are OTC or even sold in pharmacies, but some are much the same price. If you're paying close to or at the 144 limit you can save a bit of cash, particularly if you buy multiple months at a time. If you're paying a small amount or well over the 144 limit you're unlikely to save the cost of the fuel if anything.

wiz569

sandin wrote: »

Had to get my 1st prescription in over 2 years yesterday.

Avamys nasal spray (prescription only) - last time was over €40, UK is currently £28, yesterday it was €20.32 in local pharmacy!!

Is this a first?

I would have sold you one for a tenner lol

I'm great at remembering to collect my prescriptions but bad at remembering to actually take them

palmcut

And of course over the next 6 months the price of the top twenty generic medicines will fall quite dramatically. This will start with Atorvastatin on 1/11/2013.

chargerman

MYOB wrote: »

Most pharmacies will accept an ROI script. Some drugs are far cheaper, some are OTC or even sold in pharmacies, but some are much the same price. If you're paying close to or at the 144 limit you can save a bit of cash, particularly if you buy multiple months at a time. If you're paying a small amount or well over the 144 limit you're unlikely to save the cost of the fuel if anything.

Thanks for that. I currently pay 135 euro a month here so might take a trip up

Reenascreena

Called my GP today to get a repeat prescription for my asthma medication (inhaler) which I use rarely. I always get a supply in for the winter as the cold weather can affect my asthma - which is mild.

Was told I have to see the GP as I haven't been for over a year. Haven't had an asthma attack for more than 30 years and symptoms are well under control.

Cost of inhaler would be €50 for GP, €20 for prescription and €12 for an inhaler for grand total of €72.

Over the counter in Spain for €4 or Asda in UK for £7.

Tis a grand little country.

L1011

Reenascreena wrote: »

Cost of inhaler would be €50 for GP, €20 for prescription and €12 for an inhaler for grand total of €72.

Isn't a GP in the country that charges a prescription fee when already paying for a consultation. If you've got a freak that does, change doctor.

Reenascreena wrote: »

Over the counter in Spain for €4 or Asda in UK for £7.

Tis a grand little country.

Blame the IMB for it not being OTC/GSL. They are horrendously restrictive.

chargerman wrote: »

Thanks for that. I currently pay 135 euro a month here so might take a trip up

Call and price it in advance, there isn't as big a price difference between pharmacies in NI as here so there isn't much point in picking bar convenience. Make sure they will sell you six months supply and that they'll have enough in stock to begin with.

chargerman

MYOB wrote: »

Call and price it in advance, there isn't as big a price difference between pharmacies in NI as here so there isn't much point in picking bar convenience. Make sure they will sell you six months supply and that they'll have enough in stock to begin with.

Ah yes good point. Never thought of that because half the time my own chemist even runs out and asks me to call back the next day. Thanks. I would have gone straight up!

Reenascreena

It's a repeat prescription.

Doom

I'm on regular meds, generic one is 1 euro cheaper than branded one....generic companies are milking us!

L1011

Reenascreena wrote: »

It's a repeat prescription.

You're still being absolutely robbed if they charge for it on top of a consultation fee and I'd wager that you won't be. I've seen (and set up on their IT systems) the fee structure of about 800 surgeries at this stage, nowhere does that. Change doctors if they are.

WhyTheFace

Reenascreena wrote: »

Called my GP today to get a repeat prescription for my asthma medication (inhaler) which I use rarely. I always get a supply in for the winter as the cold weather can affect my asthma - which is mild.

Was told I have to see the GP as I haven't been for over a year. Haven't had an asthma attack for more than 30 years and symptoms are well under control.

Cost of inhaler would be €50 for GP, €20 for prescription and €12 for an inhaler for grand total of €72.

Over the counter in Spain for €4 or Asda in UK for £7.

Tis a grand little country.

Who exactly do you pay 20e to? GP's don't charge to write a prescription, it is part of their service. If you think they do then you are simply mistaken.

Inhalers are on prescription only. Why on earth would a medical doctor dispense something to you without having seen you? You haven't seen a Dr in ages, of course you need to a check up to ensure everything is ok.

Also, where are you paying 12e for a prescription for a ventolin (blue) inhaler? They are max 9e.

Spain is a lot cheaper in many ways. Why not move there and join the 40% or so who are unemployed if life is that cheap over there.