Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The ongoing shortage of some 300 prescription-only medications is causing significant stress for many people. This is compounded by news articles stating that pharmacists are being left with no alternative but to dispense substitute medications that have not been authorised or registered for use in Ireland. This has happened despite the fact these medications, known as exempt medicinal products, can be legally supplied to patients by qualified pharmacists to meet their health needs in the absence of their regular product. Many patients across Tipperary and the wider country feel confused and unsettled. Elderly people and the parents of young children are particularly concerned when a medication they have been familiar with for years is replaced by one they do not recognise. This threatens to undermine plans to expand the role of pharmacists in healthcare. Does the Department of Health have plans to stage an information campaign to inform people of the need for this substitute medication and to give them a reassurance that they are proper and safe?

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