Ms Kathy Maher:

Deputy McLellan asked why, given that up to 70% of medicines are available as generics, we are only seeing penetration of 34%. The law precludes pharmacists from straight switching. We can only give generic medicines for those products that are deemed interchangeable by the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA. We are obliged by law to offer the patient a generic substitute but we cannot switch a medicine if the proprietary brand name is written on a prescription.