Vital medicines ‘blocked by profitable drug companies’

DRUG manufacturers cherry picking lucrative markets are depriving Irish customers of essential medicines, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) has warned.

Yesterday, the IPU warned that three widely prescribed medicines - Thyroxine, Trimethoprim and low dose Aspirin - were not available in the country because their international manufacturers have either directed the medicines elsewhere or discontinued production.

The IPU has called on the Department of Health to seek urgent talks with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) to secure immediate supplies of these drugs and to prevent a recurrence of shortages. All three drugs are classified by the World Health Organisation as essential medicines.

Karl Hilton, vice president of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union, said the Department of Health had a responsibility to ensure patients were able to access essential medicines.

“From time to time drug manufacturers deliberately avoid selling medicines into Ireland because of a belief that they can achieve higher returns elsewhere or they unilaterally decide to discontinue specific product lines.

“The Department of Health needs to become much more proactive in ensuring that patients in this country have continuity of supply of these medicines. Doing so will not just save patients from considerable discomfort and stress, it will also help lower the State’s drug bill.”

Mr Hilton said there was no alternative available for Thyroxine, used to treat thyroid gland problems which cause general sluggishness. He said Trimethoprim, a first line antibiotic for the treatment of urinary tract infections, had been discontinued because it was no longer commercially viable and low dose aspirin, used regularly by older people to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, had been replaced by a more expensive version of the product.

Irish Patient’s Association chairman Stephen McMahon said they would be raising the matter with the Department of Health next week and with EU Commissioner David Byrne.

“This needs urgent attention. If doctors are prescribing drugs that patients cannot get, it is compromising patient care. The manufacturers should have a sense of responsibility to the patient.

“Our perception of the Irish drug market is there is a healthy profit margin, but if countries in the EU are being deprived of medicines on the basis of low returns, then it could be a matter for Commissioner Byrne.”