Mr. Dermot Twomey:

I thank the Chair for the question. It is more that pharmacists are entitled to switch between a brand and a generic. With therapeutic substitution, we are talking about moving from one medicine to a different medicine. That would require the legislative change we are talking about. Therefore, it is not as simple as going to a different brand if one brand is not available. This is a different entity itself. We are talking about what is called a serious shortage protocol, which is being used in the UK. For example, in the UK, a particular medicine, Calvepen, which is an antibiotic, was used for infections and sore throats over the winter period. That was not available, so the serious shortage protocol allowed amoxicillin to be used first line. It is similar to penicillin but a different antibiotic. That would require legislative change.