PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 680 - 15 Jun 2013

Ireland passes Bill on referencepricing, increased generic use

The Irish Health (Pricing and Supply of MedicalGoods) Bill 2012 has been passed through both Housesof the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament) and now onlyrequires the President’s signature to becomeoperational.

Currently in Ireland when a specific brand of medicineis prescribed for a patient, the pharmacist can onlysupply that particular brand – even when less expensivegeneric versions are available. The Bill will now allowpharmacists to substitute medicines which have beendesignated as interchangeable by the Irish MedicinesBoard.

The Bill also outlines reference pricing whereby theHealth Service Executive will pay for medicines suppliedto patients under the General Medical Services andcommunity drug schemes. If the patient wants aparticular brand that costs more than the reference pricethen the patient will have to pay the additional cost ofthat product. However, if substitution is prohibited forclinical reasons, patients will not face any additionalcosts if the prescribed product costs more than thereference price.

Welcoming the Bill, Minister for Health, Dr JamesReilly said that it will "promote price competition anddeliver lower medicine prices for both the State andpatients".Department of Health - Ireland. Passing of the Health (Pricing and Supply ofMedical Goods) Bill 2012. Media Release : 22 May 2013. Available from: URL:http://www.dohc.ie 809150283

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 15 Jun 2013 No. 6801173-5503/10/0680-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved