Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The cost of medicines has been reduced. Prescription charges for medical card patients under the age of 70 years were reduced in January and those who do not have medical cards who obtain medicines under the drugs payment scheme had the cost reduced in January by €10 a month. We intend to continue to reduce the cost of medicines for persons with medical cards and those who do not have them as the years pass. On the specific medicine referred to, the medicines management programme, a HSE programme which ensures medicines are used for the correct indications, has a system which it is only supposed to be prescribed for the treatment of shingles, but if it is being prescribed to treat non-shingles cases, people can apply for approval.

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