Chemists say medicine shortage puts lives at risk

Newly elected president of the Irish Pharmacy Union, Daragh Connolly, said patients sometimes wait weeks for a supply of what is often a very common medicine.

“Not only is this causing undue stress, fear, and anxiety for them, it is also putting their health at risk,” said Mr Connolly, a Waterford-based pharmacist.

At the close of the IPU’s annual conference in Dublin yesterday, members urged the Department of Health, the HSE, manufacturers, wholesalers and regulators to agree on a plan to tackle the supply problem.