Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to comment on generic substitution. Quite often a patient may get 12 different generic substitutions in a year. In other words, he or she goes into a pharmacist and receives a product. On his or her next visit the chemist will suggest that another generic substitute is the same as the last one but it has been produced by a different company. People react to products in different ways. Not all generic drugs are the same and not all generics drugs are the same as the proprietary drug. Patients using multiple versions of the same drug is a huge problem and it is very difficult to identify the culprit when they, inevitably, develop an adverse reaction. Multiple generic substitutions is an issue for patients and GPs.