Call for medicine price reduction to extend to animal health products

A REDUCTION in the price of branded medicines should be extended to animal health products, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association declared yesterday.

The call followed the news that the cost of buying hundreds of medicines from pharmacies for human use will be some 40% cheaper from this week. Nearly 300 familiar medicine brands are included in the price cuts which are aimed at reducing costs to the state by €94 million over the next year. ICSA president Gabriel Gilmartin said the same reduction should also apply to animal health products.

“Each of the major pharmaceutical companies has an animal health division and a very lucrative market in Ireland.