Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Petition No. P00006/23, cost of generic pain relief medications, in the name of Ms Charline White. The petition relates to a request to cut and cap the price of generic over-the-counter pain relief medications, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin. Sufferers of chronic pain rely on these and it is completely unfair to price them as they are. At a local pharmacy in Wexford town, a 24-pack of 400 mg ibuprofen, unbranded, costs €9.75. Per 400 mg dose, that is a cost of 41 cent. Over the Border, in the UK, non-brand ibuprofen from the supermarket costs 6 cent at current conversion rates per 400 mg dose, with a 200 mg 16-pack costing a total of 40 pence Sterling. Therefore, for the price of one dose in Ireland, you can buy eight doses in the UK. The petitioner asks if that makes sense.

The case manager corresponded with the HSE and the Health Products Regulatory Authority, which advised that this is within the remit of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. The secretariat sought the views of the commission and received a response on 24 January 2024. The CCPC summarised its response thus: "In fulfilment of its statutory mandate to promote competition and to promote and protect the interests and welfare of consumers the CCPC will continue to engage as appropriate with the HPRA and other relevant authorities to remove unnecessary barriers to competition, potentially leading to more competitive prices for consumers."

The recommendations are that the correspondence from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission be forwarded to the petitioner for comment with 14 days, the committee should write to the HPRA to inquire about licensing costs on the various medications, and the petitioner should be informed about the request to the HPRA.

Do members have any views? Is that agreed?