Ballinrobe based Fine Gael councillor Michael Burke, has welcomed the passing of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods ) Bill 2012 through both Houses of the Oireachtas.
“This legislation means that greater use of generic drugs will be introduced to reduce the State’s large drug bill and the cost to individuals for their medicines. It will promote price competition and deliver lower medicine prices for both the State and patients,” he explained.
“The Bill permits pharmacists to substitute medicines which have been designated as interchangeable by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB ). It is only where the IMB is satisfied that a medicinal product satisfies all the conditions set out in the Bill that it can do so. To further enhance patient safety, the Bill allows a prescriber to indicate on a prescription that a branded interchangeable medicinal product should, for clinical reasons, not be substituted,” the councillor added.
The Bill will now be referred to the President for signature and is expected to be brought into operation next month.
