The potential impact of implementing a system of generic substitution on the community drug schemes in Ireland.
This study estimated the potential savings in Ireland in 2003 if a system of generic substitution were introduced, under the two main Community Drug Schemes (General Medical Services, GMS, and Drugs Payment, DP). The GMS and DP schemes accounted for 82% of state expenditure on the Community Drug Schemes in 2003. Twenty one per cent of prescription items on the GMS scheme and 23% of items on the DP scheme were dispensed as a proprietary preparation when a generic equivalent was available. Substitution of the cheapest generic equivalent preparations of the top 30 drugs by expenditure in each scheme would result in estimated annual savings of <euro>12.7 million on the GMS and <euro>9.1 million on the DP scheme. Potential savings if the most expensive generic drugs were dispensed would be in the region of <euro>9.0 million on the GMS and <euro>6.4 million on the DP scheme. Comparison of these results with a similar analysis of 2001 data illustrates the potential for an increase in savings over time.
National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, Ireland. info@ncpe.ie
Lesley
L
Tilson
Kathleen
K
Bennett
Michael
M
Barry
D003363:Cost Control / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D016527:Drug Costs; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration
D016568:Drugs, Generic