C&AG report: Spend on hi-tech drugs hits €485m

Spending on hi-tech drugs hit €485m last year, almost double the amount spent in 2009.

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) found that while the patient care fee has remained relatively static at around €17m a year, the amount spent on drugs and medicines has jumped from €315m in 2009 to €468m in 2014.

The HSE pays pharmaceutical suppliers directly for the drugs and medicines, and the community pharmacies receive a monthly patient care fee for overseeing the treatment.