Ruling cuts cost of morning-after pill to €9.99

EVERY pharmacy in Ireland is able to sell the morning-after pill without prescription or GP authorisation after the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) approved the over the counter sale of Norlevo.

The cost of the pill is also expected to decrease more than four-fold, following the ground-breaking decision.

Developed by French-based HRA Pharma, the 1.5mg Norlevo tablet provides emergency contraception if taken within 72 hours of intercourse and can be supplied through pharmacies only, but is not subject to prescription.

The decision was published yesterday and a spokesperson for the IMB said the ruling comes into effect immediately.

Earlier this year, the Boots pharmacy chain started offering the previously prescription-only pill following a one-to-one consultation with pharmacists.

Boots is offering the pill service under a “patient group direction” (PGD), authorised in Ireland by Dr Graham Marshall, Boots’ medical director, and allows the chain to bypass the prescription-only policy.

However, following the decision to approve the sale of Norlevo without prescription yesterday the door is open for every Irish pharmacy to sell the pill without running a PGD.

Boots had already undercut most GPs by offering its service to women aged 18 and over for a €45 charge.

However, the pill can now be purchased without a dispensing fee, which should see its price dramatically reduced, with one chain already announcing a retail price of €9.99 for Norlevo.

‘This is an important and welcome development for sexual health in Ireland,’ said Cormac Tobin, managing director for DocMorris & Unicare pharmacy, who will be making Norlevo available.

Mark Beddis, superintendent pharmacist, said, “We want to ensure patients are counselled appropriately to ensure the medication is taken correctly, and only by those for whom it will be effective.”