Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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160. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide for the years 2009 to 2013, the amount spent by the State each year on medicinal drugs; the total savings generated by reference pricing and generic substitution. [38776/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The cost to the HSE of drugs and medicines supplied under the GMS and community drug schemes, including the High Tech Drugs Scheme, between the years 2009 and 2012 are set out as follows:

2012 - €1.547 billion

2011 - €1.465 billion

2010 - €1.538 billion

2009 - €1.589 billion

Corresponding figures for 2013 have not yet been published but are estimated to be in the region of €1.426 billion.

The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 introduced a system of generic substitution and reference pricing. Reference pricing involves the setting of a common reimbursement price, or reference price, for a group of interchangeable products. It means that one reference price is set for each group or list of interchangeable medicines, and this is the price the Health Service Executive (HSE) will reimburse to pharmacists for all medicines in the group, regardless of the individual medicine's prices. Reference pricing is expected to generate €50 million savings in 2014.