Mr. Dermot Twomey:

We discussed the serious shortage protocol. We think that would be key to helping pharmacists make those decisions where they need to be made. Regarding some of the Senator's points about the brands and the different products, it is outside our control. It is upstream of where we are. Some things that could be done at HSE level include allowing temporary medical card or GMS codes for certain products in a proactive fashion so that when certain products are short, the patient is not encumbered with a financial charge to procure the product that is available. We are looking for the HSE to be proactive and look in advance to see what codes are required on a temporary basis. We think this is very important.

When some products go short, a branded product might be the only one available and sometimes co-payments are required for the patient to pay for those particular brands. We think it important these co-payments are waived where there are serious shortages.