Committee told price cuts causing medicine shortage

A medicine shortage caused by excessive drug price cuts imposed by the HSE is having a negative impact on patient care, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday.

The Association of Pharmacutical Manufacturers of Ireland, which represents generic drug producers, is concerned the health authority’s pricing system is acting as a disincentive.

Since 2013, the HSE has set a reference price that it pays for a group of interchangeable medicines. Over the last five years, the use of generic drugs has more than doubled from 18.5% to 48%, according to the IAPM