Pharmacists have bitter pill to swallow

**Ringo** · 09/08/2009, 7:37 AM

AS the bitter pharmacy dispute entered its second week yesterday, members of the Irish Pharmacy Union met to discuss their options.

What they should have been doing is formulating a fulsome apology to the entire country for putting their own greed and self-interest ahead of the interests and safety of patients. Their actions have been and continue to be nothing short of disgraceful. Shame on them all!

They have shown the kind of single-minded selfishness in holding the country to ransom that most public sector unions pride themselves on.

Everyone across the country is in agreement, that the situation never should have been allowed get to this. While I never thought I would have found myself saying it, without question on this one, right is overwhelmingly on the side of Health Minister Mary Harney and the HSE.

She must be applauded for tackling one of the most powerful vested interests in the country. She must be supported for her all too rare tough stand against a vested interest which has done very well out of the Irish State.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...w-1855278.html

Harney has nothing to loose. Shes not running again & she's no party. I think she's going to win this.

**Mr A** · 09/08/2009, 5:17 PM

No sympathy whatsoever for the pharmacists. They've been on the gravy train for a long time and it has to stop.

**Macy** · 11/08/2009, 7:34 AM

With Harney and the Indo on their case, you'd be inclined to think the pharmacists are in the right. Who actually oversaw the increased prices to chemist shops in the first bloody place? The FF/PD Government(s).

If Harney wanted to reduce drug costs in this country she'd take on the pharmaceutical companies not the retailers. She's steadfastly refused to make it a requirement of prescriptions to say "or generic equivalent". Anyone would think her husband was involved in representing pharmaceutical companies or something....

Harney somehow gets credit for taking on vested interests, but she's actually in their representing them. She'll take on chemist shops, but not the supplier companies, she'll take on the consultants until she cops her proposal won't suit the for profit companies running her tax breaked co located hospitals. She's cut from the same cloth as Haughey.

**Mr A** · 11/08/2009, 9:44 AM

You're right that Harney/FF/PDs should be strung up for letting this situation develop, but sorting it out is still the right thing to do.

And yeah, they should also get the best deal possible from the drug companies, but that doesn't change the fact that the pharmacists are totally on the take.

**Shilts** · 11/08/2009, 2:56 PM

Went to Boots today, bought a toothbrush, and a few other toiletries.
It was open.... I will return with more business in the future.
Pharmacists have been allowed to dictate for too long.
After all they are glorified shopkeepers.
They prevented the expansion of the industry for years (effectively reducing the service to the public).
About time we stood up to them and any any other jumped up "proffessional" who thinks because he has a degree he is better than us. Lawyers and consultants... watch this space!!!

**dahamsta** · 11/08/2009, 3:22 PM

I assumed all chemists were open, just that some of them weren't doing the state prescription scheme.

And the "professionals" business is a wee bit oversimplified. First of all, anyone that does something for money is a professional. A hooker is a professional. Secondly, on an educational level, so-called professionals are better than you. They did 4-10 more work than you in that field and a lot of exams to prove it.

I don't have a degree and I dislike the way employers discriminate against non- degree holders that often have far more real-world experience that degree holders, but to lump them all into one category is unrealistic and probably as biased as you're accusing them of being.

adam

**brianw82** · 11/08/2009, 5:01 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

No sympathy whatsoever for the pharmacists. They've been on the gravy train for a long time and it has to stop.

As someone who worked in pharmacy software support, I can confirm the amount of money that the pharamcists get from the government is unreal. Take that away and most of them would close.

**Mr A** · 11/08/2009, 8:44 PM

White flag from the chemists: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...breaking77.htm

**Ringo** · 12/08/2009, 6:35 AM

I assumed all chemists were open, just that some of them weren't doing the state prescription scheme.

Very difficult last weekend just to get over the counter medicine with the chemists completely closed. I also thought they would just not dispense the medical card prescriptions. The fact that supermarkets are so restricted in what they can seel makes in hard.

**Macy** · 12/08/2009, 7:27 AM

Originally Posted by Shilts

They prevented the expansion of the industry for years (effectively reducing the service to the public).

That's gone a good while though, I thought.

The real problem and waste isn't at retail level for prescription drugs, it's at the cost from the drugs companies. That isn't set at pharmacy level.

**dahamsta** · 12/08/2009, 9:09 AM

Originally Posted by Ringo

Very difficult last weekend just to get over the counter medicine with the chemists completely closed. I also thought they would just not dispense the medical card prescriptions.

Yeah, the wife told me last night that some of them closed completely and buggered off on holiday, others just stopped doing the medical card prescriptions. Depends where you are apparently.

Idiots to close completely, just makes them look bad. Better to stay open and run at a loss "as a service to the community" than close down and look like you just don't care. They must've been raiding the mattresses for their holidays.

**Da Real Rover** · 14/08/2009, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by Macy

With Harney and the Indo on their case, you'd be inclined to think the pharmacists are in the right. Who actually oversaw the increased prices to chemist shops in the first bloody place? The FF/PD Government(s).

If Harney wanted to reduce drug costs in this country she'd take on the pharmaceutical companies not the retailers. She's steadfastly refused to make it a requirement of prescriptions to say "or generic equivalent". Anyone would think her husband was involved in representing pharmaceutical companies or something....

Harney somehow gets credit for taking on vested interests, but she's actually in their representing them. She'll take on chemist shops, but not the supplier companies, she'll take on the consultants until she cops her proposal won't suit the for profit companies running her tax breaked co located hospitals. She's cut from the same cloth as Haughey.

Spot on.
People are losing sight of who is really at fault here.

**John83** · 14/08/2009, 12:06 PM

The generics aren't all that cheap here in my experience. I had to get some augmentin last year, and the chemist gave me a generic instead (without telling me, which ****ed me off no end - that could cause some people real distress if they got home to find they had the 'wrong' medicine, particularly people with limited mobility). Anyway, it turned out that the generic was only about 10% cheaper.

There was an article that got some attention recently about how we're paying way over the odds for some drugs compared with the NHS. It had an example of one drug the NHS could get for ~€1 versus ~€20 here. Obviously, that's the extreme case, but still...

EDIT: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...250990577.html

**Macy** · 14/08/2009, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by John83

The generics aren't all that cheap here in my experience.

No, and I wouldn't deny that chemists are any less of a rip off than the rest of the retail sector. However, that's a different issue, and it's actually the likes of Boots, imo, that are more blatant in that regard than the independents - for example they don't carry their (in my experience very effective) own brand hayfever tablets.

**KevB76** · 14/08/2009, 4:43 PM

Originally Posted by John83

There was an article that got some attention recently about how we're paying way over the odds for some drugs compared with the NHS. It had an example of one drug the NHS could get for ~€1 versus ~€20 here. Obviously, that's the extreme case, but still...
[/url]

Similarly, Clarityn hayfever pills here cost €7-8 for a pack of 7.
I got two packs of 30 in the UK for £4 !

It comes in the same box, but in the Irish market has qty.7 printed on it (by Manufacturer) and qty.30 printed on box for UK market.

**Ringo** · 16/08/2009, 7:03 AM

Originally Posted by Macy

No, and I wouldn't deny that chemists are any less of a rip off than the rest of the retail sector. However, that's a different issue, and it's actually the likes of Boots, imo, that are more blatant in that regard than the independents - for example they don't carry their (in my experience very effective) own brand hayfever tablets.

Mybe those tablets aren't licencec in the Republic.? I bought a bottle of calpol in boots €5.99 It was €6.99 in Hikeys two doors away. There is however huge differences between whta Boots charge in the Republic & in The North.