Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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571. To ask the Minister for Health the action he will take in 2014 to enhance price transparency in the retail pharmacy market and improve prescribing practises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53916/13]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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At present, pharmacists are not required to publish their dispensing and other fees. However, under the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland’s (PSI) Code of Conduct, pharmacists are required to provide honest, relevant, accurate, current and appropriate information to patients regarding the nature, cost, value and benefit of medicines provided by them. Every pharmacist has an obligation to comply in full with the statutory Code of Conduct.

The PSI advises patients that their pharmacist should be in a position to provide them with whatever information or clarification they require about prescribed medicines, including information about the pricing of those medicines. The Department of Health has asked the PSI to examine how greater price transparency can be achieved. It should also be noted that the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 provides patients with an incentive to seek interchangeable products priced at or below the reference price.

It is the view of the HSE and the Department of Health that there should be total transparency provided when any pharmaceutical service is accessed by a member of the public.

In relation to improved prescribing practises, a Medicines Management Programme (MMP) has been established by the HSE to provide sustained national leadership in this area.

The aims of the MMP include (a) ensuring that patients have access to the essential medicines that they need; (b) facilitating more cost-effective prescribing with initiatives in relation to high-cost medicines; (c) ensuring value for money in relation to medicines; and (d) enhancing evidence based prescribing and optimising patient safety through a reduction in medication related adverse events.

The MMP will focus on drugs and medicines which can be expected to have a significant impact in terms of patient safety and expenditure. In this context, the MMP will monitor drug utilisation and expenditure under the community drug schemes and initiate a health technology assessment for products where there are queries in relation to efficacy and value for money. This process has the potential to produce significant savings in drug expenditure while at the same time enhancing patient safety.

The MMP has also introduced the preferred drugs initiative which facilitates more cost-effective prescribing particularly in relation to high-cost medicines and it has commenced a series of educational meetings with general practitioners to reinforce the message around safe, effective and cost-effective prescribing as well as generic prescribing.