Needless State spend on erectile dysfunction drugs

The taxpayer is spending millions of euro on €37.75 standard packs of erectile dysfunction drugs, though alternative generic versions are a quarter of the cost.

The HSE last year spent €4.2m on the branded erectile dysfunction drug, Cialis, prescribed for medical card holders. A pack of Cialis costs €37.75 at pharmacists, compared to a generic Viagra brand at €9.

However, the HSE spend on the much-cheaper generic Viagra form was almost one quarter of the Cialis spend, at €1.1m.