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.

“If this reduction can apply to medicines for people, there is no reason why it can’t be the same for veterinary medicines.”

Mr Gilmartin called on Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith to raise this issue with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, the representative body for the major pharmaceutical companies in Ireland.

“The minister needs to follow in the footsteps of his colleague, the minister for health, and negotiate a reduction for farmers in the cost of animal medicines,” he said.