Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I take great comfort from the Minister of Health's reply and, in particular, his statement that "The Department of Health is also raising the issue of price transparency with the regulatory body for pharmacists". I cannot stress how strongly I feel about this. While it is not comparable, I work in the food industry. Would it not be wonderful if we could agree a recommended retail price with pharmacists and the drug companies for Losec of, say, ¤5.99 or ¤9.99 in order that a pharmacist could not have control over prices? They can do what they want with the Christmas gifts and frippery they sell depending on location but we must achieve a flatline for drugs that people who are suffering need. A recommended retail price fro the top 50 drugs used in Ireland would be a simple way to control prices because they are difficult to control.