Pharmacists seek drug licence review

UP to 800 medicines in regular use are not licensed by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB), a situation that is causing increasing problems for pharmacists.

The fact that up to 40% of medicines used in paediatric medicine are also unlicensed will be discussed this weekend at the AGM of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU), the representative body for more than 1,400 pharmacists in Ireland.

Reasons for not seeking a license or for allowing licenses to lapse include the relatively small size of the Irish market, the high cost of licensing drugs and the time required to complete the authorisation process.