IPU cave in

[McDave]

Actually they have done - repeatedly.

It's been said again and again in newspapers and on the radio by pharmacists and other commentators that the DoHC/HSE have done a sweetheart deal with Big Pharma guaranteeing them that the Irish state and citizens will pay among the highest prices in Europe for medicines.

Furthermore, the IPU has said publicly for years that upwards of EUR100million a year would be saved by patients and by the state if pharmacists were permitted to switch to generic medicines.

However, in the agreement which the DoHC/HSE reached with Big Pharma, there is a specific clause which prevents pharmacists using generic versions of medicines where doctors have prescribed the more expensive branded version.

Thanks, uniquare, for going to the trouble of getting some sources. I don't know if there are others which might provide evidence of a more sustained IPU response that might not be attributable to the trouble coming down the tracks from the McCarthy Commission, or evidence from more than a handful of pharmacists. I'm prepared for the sake of argument to accept that your sources are a sample. (I'm not going to ask you to go on a fishing expedition through the press over the last 5 or 10 golden years of windfall earnings for pharmacists and other professions.)

It is not my intention to be difficult or disrespectful, but for instance you can get individual solicitors criticising problematic aspects of the legal profession (e.g. problems with self-regulation, ethics, rogue solicitors, conveyancing fees, and indeed the nature of conveyancing itself). You'll even get Ken Murphy from the Law Society coming on Sunday morning radio and being quite reasonable about issues like these. However, in the meantime the vast majority of the profession carried on carrying on coining it in as best they could.

I'm afraid I have a similar non-credulous view of other professions. There are for sure individual pharmacists who would feel ethically disposed enough to their clients to spread the good word on generic drugs to whoever in the public is willing to listen. But as far as the IPU goes, if they're not pursuing the Irish government in the courts for their restrictive agreement with the pharma industry, you'll forgive me if I take their actual lower level protestations with a grain of salt.

In the heel of the hunt, professional bodies act for their members' interests. I just don't believe they wanted to rock the boat on all that lovely lolly going through the cash registers.

[Middleaged]

I sincerely hope you make it a hell of a lot closer to 80 than you are now, even if you don't quite make it the whole way.

BTW, my dad has prostate cancer (remission), leukaemia (remission), high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and slight COPD. He considers himself healthy otherwise and still hopes to die young - in his 80s.

Thats made me smile, I'm ok, its the waiting, I should be cancer free one year in Oct, still have side effects from radiotherapy on the brain, and high dose chemo, will probably need to get a few things scooped out in November (lung).

Funny I also consider myself healthy,off to bring my golf clubs for a walk today.

I wish your Dad and your family the very best..