Large droop in number of medical-card holders receiving free Viagra

The number of medical-card holders who received drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) for free last year fell by 18%, but the taxpayer was still left with a €1.4m bill for nearly 40,000 people to avail of the pills under the scheme.

A total of 39,315 patients were prescribed ED drugs such as Viagra and Levitra on the medical card during 2018 – 8,682 fewer than the previous year. The total cost also fell from €2.1 million to €1.4 million.