Pharmacy Robbery

juuge

My Dad is on heart medication and one of the tablets he gets is Atenolol 50mg.
Last week he bought them in Boots in the Square Tallaght cost €9.51 for 30.
He bought the same drug yesterday in Majorca cost €3.12 for 60. How crazy is that?
Why are people with serious medical problems like my Dad being totally ripped off like this? I believe that anyone that takes advantage of the sick and elderly are nothing but scum. Profit is one thing and we are all entitled to make a living but price differences such as these are daylight robbery.:mad:

sandin

juuge wrote: »

My Dad is on heart medication and one of the tablets he gets is Atenolol 50mg.
Last week he bought them in Boots in the Square Tallaght cost €9.51 for 30.
He bought the same drug yesterday in Majorca cost €3.12 for 60. How crazy is that?
Why are people with serious medical problems like my Dad being totally ripped off like this? I believe that anyone that takes advantage of the sick and elderly are nothing but scum. Profit is one thing and we are all entitled to make a living but price differences such as these are daylight robbery.:mad:

The spanish government subsidises drugs. Non pensioners pay 40% of the drug cost, the spanish governement pays everything else including prescription fee. As a EU citizen, you are entitled to the same treatment when you are over there. - Over here we do it differently, the max you can pay for drugs each month is €132 - after this the state pays 100%.

If you are on relatively cheap meds, then the spanish system is great, however if you need specialist heart / cancer meds, you'd be far better off in Ireland.

Personally I prefer the Irish system - I've seen my dad require drugs that cost about 12k a year and he only had to pay about €85 a month (it was a few years ago) - in spain it would have cost circa €400/month under their system.

Swings and roundabouts.

juuge

sandin wrote: »

The spanish government subsidises drugs. Non pensioners pay 40% of the drug cost, the spanish governement pays everything else including prescription fee. As a EU citizen, you are entitled to the same treatment when you are over there. - Over here we do it differently, the max you can pay for drugs each month is €132 - after this the state pays 100%.

If you are on relatively cheap meds, then the spanish system is great, however if you need specialist heart / cancer meds, you'd be far better off in Ireland.

Personally I prefer the Irish system - I've seen my dad require drugs that cost about 12k a year and he only had to pay about €85 a month (it was a few years ago) - in spain it would have cost circa €400/month under their system.

Swings and roundabouts.

Point taken - It just seems a ridiculous difference. He will be buying six months supply now and hopes to be back over there at Christmas.

nino1

its boots that are ripping you off.
They put out a press release a few months ago saying how great they were that they were getting rid of all mark-up and were going to charge cost price + a professional service fee of €7.
So lets examine how this great new system works in your case.

In boots The cost price is €2.51 + €7 fee = €9.51
In an independent pharmacy with a 50% mark up and a dispensing fee of €5 you will be charged €3.76 + €5 = €8.76
In Tesco pharmacy who have a mark up of 25% and a dispensing fee of €3.50 you will be charged €3.13 + €3.50 = €6.63

double GG

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/atenolol-tablet-50mg_4_12899.html

This what you're looking for? I don't know how they accept prescriptions online here but might be worth looking in to.



http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056698663

This might help you too regarding Postage.

foggy_lad

double GG wrote: »

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/atenolol-tablet-50mg_4_12899.html

This what you're looking for? I don't know how they accept prescriptions online here but might be worth looking in to.



http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056698663

This might help you too regarding Postage.

It is illegal to import medicines into the country by post or any other way without a licence.

nino1

double GG wrote: »

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/atenolol-tablet-50mg_4_12899.html

This what you're looking for? I don't know how they accept prescriptions online here but might be worth looking in to.



http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056698663

This might help you too regarding Postage.

to quote from their website
"Chemist Direct can only supply this medication if you have a valid UK private prescription or NHS prescription"

Pkiernan

I wouldn't feel comfortable buying heart medication in Majorca to be honest. Given the state of Spain, I'd be wary of counterfeit drugs there.

aknitter

I am an asthmatic - I am on 2 puffs of an inhaler twice a day. I have been on Symbicort for about 8 years now (its great) and usually leave my prescription in the the local chemist for convenience. I have had a lot of trouble lately there so decided to ring around for prices - my local chemist (a unicare pharmacy) will charge me €86 for one inhaler but Boots or Sam McCauley will charge €61, how in all reasonableness can this be justified? I feel that they are a like with like comparison but will call another locally owned and run pharmacy just to see.
I feel a crusade coming on!!!!;)

rubadub

aknitter wrote: »

will charge me €86 for one inhaler but Boots or Sam McCauley will charge €61, how in all reasonableness can this be justified?

They are just able to take advantage of the fact few people shop around for prescription medicine. With the internet it is easier as you can just copy and send a similar email around to all the places. Also ask for generic options, symbicort is a trade name, so you are probably paying over the odds for it if there is an identical generic out there. You could also ask your doctor if a slightly different generic would work too.

sandin

aknitter wrote: »

I am an asthmatic - I am on 2 puffs of an inhaler twice a day. I have been on Symbicort for about 8 years now (its great) and usually leave my prescription in the the local chemist for convenience. I have had a lot of trouble lately there so decided to ring around for prices - my local chemist (a unicare pharmacy) will charge me €86 for one inhaler but Boots or Sam McCauley will charge €61, how in all reasonableness can this be justified? I feel that they are a like with like comparison but will call another locally owned and run pharmacy just to see.
I feel a crusade coming on!!!!;)

again explained by different pricing policies. Boots and Sam mc Cauleys dropped prices but increased prescription charge. Meass cheaper meds are more expensive and dearer ones are cheaper.

So its a case of shopping around and using 2/3 different pharmacies depending on what you want.

ilovefridays

I Work in a pharmaceutical company and i have checked that product for you.
The Cost price for these pack of 28 50mg is 1.99 and the trade price is 2.34
Sure I have to take an injection once a month, it costs 120 quid. when i checked our system in work we sell it to them for only 43 euro. so i really dont know how they can justify charging these prices. its disgracefull.
or another tablet i noticed, an anti-depressant which is sold for 70 quid a month in the chemist, trade price is only 23 euro. it sickens me

(and before anyone asks...no i cant buy products in work, or get a discount )

Kurtosis

ilovefridays wrote: »

I Work in a pharmaceutical company and i have checked that product for you.
The Cost price for these pack of 28 50mg is 1.99 and the trade price is 2.34
Sure I have to take an injection once a month, it costs 120 quid. when i checked our system in work we sell it to them for only 43 euro. so i really dont know how they can justify charging these prices. its disgracefull.
or another tablet i noticed, an anti-depressant which is sold for 70 quid a month in the chemist, trade price is only 23 euro. it sickens me

(and before anyone asks...no i cant buy products in work, or get a discount )

What do you mean by trade price? The figures you are quoting don't really tally, are you sure you are stating an up-to-date cost from the chemists?

Motorist

I was in a pub in Spain last month and got a pint for €2. Over here I get charged around €5. I got a litre of petrol for around a euro in one of the Canary Islands yet here it costs €1.70. :mad::mad::mad::mad:

Spain is the promised land we have all been searching for.

Nonoperational

ilovefridays wrote: »

I Work in a pharmaceutical company and i have checked that product for you.
The Cost price for these pack of 28 50mg is 1.99 and the trade price is 2.34
Sure I have to take an injection once a month, it costs 120 quid. when i checked our system in work we sell it to them for only 43 euro. so i really dont know how they can justify charging these prices. its disgracefull.
or another tablet i noticed, an anti-depressant which is sold for 70 quid a month in the chemist, trade price is only 23 euro. it sickens me

(and before anyone asks...no i cant buy products in work, or get a discount )

That's just untrue. A cost price of €43 will never ever cost €120. But sur why let facts get in the way of a good story.

Spanish cost prices are lower than here but this has been discussed many many times on boards.

double GG

ilovefridays wrote: »

I Work in a pharmaceutical company and i have checked that product for you.
The Cost price for these pack of 28 50mg is 1.99 and the trade price is 2.34
Sure I have to take an injection once a month, it costs 120 quid. when i checked our system in work we sell it to them for only 43 euro. so i really dont know how they can justify charging these prices. its disgracefull.
or another tablet i noticed, an anti-depressant which is sold for 70 quid a month in the chemist, trade price is only 23 euro. it sickens me

(and before anyone asks...no i cant buy products in work, or get a discount )

An anti-depressant for €70, paying that every month would really depress you!

minkynuts

In England the maximum you pay on a script is bellow €10.00 no matter how many times or different medicines you need and you do not have to pay €50.00 plus to get the script

countrynosebag

On a medical card the cost for each item is 50c
pharmacists, i am informed by our local, are in the process of changing all medical card holders to generic meds - i have been reading some up-to-date research on net and there does appear to be some mixed opinions as to the efficacy of some
it should be no different at all, after all it is merely the drug content correct name and not called by the company name that has patented it for a particular length of time
also i am confused - i do have a european health insurance card (free from health authority) i carry the two cards always
i was informed that i would, as an eec citizen be entitled to the same costs of medical care as in my own country and that if i did not have this card things may be slower and more awkward
i may have to pay and then be re-imbursed later and this is how the messing about is avoided
we seem to have different information don't we?
i also wondered if, because of the eec card do i need to bother with health insurance options to purchase pre-any trip abroad we may take (live in hope)i really do not see need for cover if i have cover (?)
the purchased health insurance is for non-eec countries only i thought
do i have all of this completely wrong
would be most grateful for these points to be clarified and eec legislation info.

double GG

double GG wrote: »

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/atenolol-tablet-50mg_4_12899.html

This what you're looking for? I don't know how they accept prescriptions online here but might be worth looking in to.



http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056698663

This might help you too regarding Postage.

Can people actually not see the the problems arising from ordering prescription medication over the internet?:rolleyes:

minkynuts

minkynuts wrote: »

In England the maximum you pay on a script is bellow €10.00 no matter how many times or different medicines you need and you do not have to pay €50.00 plus to get the script

Wrong. There are certain exemptions which exclude from paying charges but if your medication is not on a NHS script you have pay a charge for every item on it. You have to pay the whole price for private prescriptions for drugs such as Sildenafil.

countrynosebag

countrynosebag wrote: »

On a medical card the cost for each item is 50c
pharmacists, i am informed by our local, are in the process of changing all medical card holders to generic meds - i have been reading some up-to-date research on net and there does appear to be some mixed opinions as to the efficacy of some
it should be no different at all, after all it is merely the drug content correct name and not called by the company name that has patented it for a particular length of time
also i am confused - i do have a european health insurance card (free from health authority) i carry the two cards always
i was informed that i would, as an eec citizen be entitled to the same costs of medical care as in my own country and that if i did not have this card things may be slower and more awkward
i may have to pay and then be re-imbursed later and this is how the messing about is avoided
we seem to have different information don't we?
i also wondered if, because of the eec card do i need to bother with health insurance options to purchase pre-any trip abroad we may take (live in hope)i really do not see need for cover if i have cover (?)
the purchased health insurance is for non-eec countries only i thought
do i have all of this completely wrong
would be most grateful for these points to be clarified and eec legislation info.

As far as I am aware, the card will cover all medical expenses, I am pretty sure it will cover prescription charges as well in the EU bloc.

countrynosebag

to the messenger - i was just so terribly interested and confused on some issues and would really like info to clarify
i think what i am asking is quite important info. for others too
no offence meant

countrynosebag

thanks
do you know an eec site that may be accessed by bods who wish to question the meds policies they have made into legislation, i suppose, and not really put out in the public domain so it is clearly understood and can be referenced to allow knowledge of decisions - made on our behalf?

juuge

A medicine my Dad takes is perindopril 5mg and the brand is Coversyl his local chemist in Blessington Co Wicklow charges him €20.14 for a months supply.
Tesco Naas have a pharmacy and they charge €15.20 for the same brand giving a saving of a fiver which is a lot for an OAP.
The blessington chemist says they cannot get a generic form of this drug yet Tesco can offer a generic brand of the same drug and the charge is €12.50. So his saving now is a whopping €8.00.
It certainly pays to shop around.

davo10

juuge wrote: »

A medicine my Dad takes is perindopril 5mg and the brand is Coversyl his local chemist in Blessington Co Wicklow charges him €20.14 for a months supply.
Tesco Naas have a pharmacy and they charge €15.20 for the same brand giving a saving of a fiver which is a lot for an OAP.
The blessington chemist says they cannot get a generic form of this drug yet Tesco can offer a generic brand of the same drug and the charge is €12.50. So his saving now is a whopping €8.00.
It certainly pays to shop around.

Can you think of any reasons why medicines might be cheaper in an new start up located in the stores of a shopping bohemoth, or do you want someone to spell it out to you?

nino1

davo10 wrote: »

Can you think of any reasons why medicines might be cheaper in an new start up located in the stores of a shopping bohemoth, or do you want someone to spell it out to you?

Chill out there Davo!
He didn't question why its more expensive he is just demonstrating the price difference.

And fyi most independant pharmacies charge the same whether they are a start up or not or whether they are in a shopping centre or not.

juuge

davo10 wrote: »

.. do you want someone to spell it out to you?

revin' up for a row are ya?...perhaps my Dad is not the only one needing medication:rolleyes:

davo10

nino1 wrote: »

Chill out there Davo!
He didn't question why its more expensive he is just demonstrating the price difference.

And fyi most independant pharmacies charge the same whether they are a start up or not or whether they are in a shopping centre or not.

Juuge is the OP and claims that pharmacies rip people off, and to be honest I'm not in a position to argue for as against this as my experience only extends to buying the odd inhaler when needed.

But niño, it's a bit silly to argue that as you can buy something cheaper in a Tesco pharmacy, all the others must be ripping people off.

You missed the point of my post, the pharmacy referred to is one of two (balbriggan and naas) owned and run by Tesco. They can afford to dispense medication with a much lower mark up as the purpose of the pharmacies is primarily to draw customers to their retail business the same way their low cost petrol used too. They do not require a significant profit as it is not a core business. Therefore to use it as an example of a rip off by independent pharmacies is about as relevant as using amazon as an example of how a independent book shop rips people off.

Just in case Juuge, I will spell it out. Independent pharmacies like all independent small businesses rely on sales/profit to survive. Tesco pharmacies do not necessarily rely on profits from pharmacy sales to survive as they have a complimentary and symbiotic relationship with an enormous retail business. Simples.

sandin

and then just as the local pharmacy closes down, Tesco hikes up the prices - just they way they have hiked the petrol prices in areas they no longer have comeptition (why else do they have up to 8c difference in prices between their own different stations and their killarney fuel being amongst the most expensive in the country at 1.65???)

Northern Monkey

My prescription is €55 per month from a chemist in Dublin. I can get the same prescription in NI for £12. This is as a private prescription, so no nhs discounts or anything like that blurring the numbers.

juuge

davo10 wrote: »

You missed the point of my post, the pharmacy referred to is one of two (balbriggan and naas) owned and run by Tesco. They can afford to dispense medication with a much lower mark up as the purpose of the pharmacies is primarily to draw customers to their retail business the same way their low cost petrol used too. They do not require a significant profit as it is not a core business. Therefore to use it as an example of a rip off by independent pharmacies is about as relevant as using amazon as an example of how a independent book shop rips people off.

Just in case Juuge, I will spell it out. Independent pharmacies like all independent small businesses rely on sales/profit to survive. Tesco pharmacies do not necessarily rely on profits from pharmacy sales to survive as they have a complimentary and symbiotic relationship with an enormous retail business. Simples.

Pharmacy ‘rip-offs’ have been discussed here on boards many times in the past. My belief is that as a group they are price fixing and charging way over the odds for medicines that people need to survive or in my Dad’s case, to stay alive. I will not be convinced otherwise. If there are two pharmacies in a town one Tesco and one independent the consumer/ patient doesn’t give a monkeys what their corporate background is, or what name is over the door, as long as they are getting the exact same medicine at a better price. That is the way of the world. How can anyone on a fixed income or of meagre means enjoy the luxury of buying from a local bookshop as opposed to buying on-line from companies such as Amazon at greatly reduced prices. It takes the likes of Tesco Pharmacy to come along and shake the market up. Look what Aldi and Lidl have done to the supermarket business in Ireland. Businesses compete to stay alive that’s how the market works. Before Tesco pharmacy came along pharmacies didn’t compete they all charged exactly the same thereby price fixing. Things are changing now and not a bit too soon for the likes of my Dad.