About 18,000 Irish men may seek the anti-impotence drug, Viagra, when it becomes available here within a fortnight, according to a senior official in the Department of Health.
The Department's secretary general, Mr Jerry O'Dwyer, said that if 10 per cent of the male population - 180,000 men - suffered from erectile dysfunction the expectation would be that, at a minimum, only 10 per cent of them would go for treatment. He told the Dail Committee on Public Accounts yesterday that if the drug was made available free under the various drugs schemes it would cost "not less than £7 million and perhaps up to £20 million" a year. The estimate was made on the basis of a usage of four to 10 tablets a month.
He said it was hoped the expert committee set up by the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, to examine whether the drug should be included in the General Medical Services (GMS) scheme would report about three months after the drug became available.
The committee chairman, Mr Jim Mitchell (FG), wondered what would happen if there was a different policy relating to GMS availability North and South.
"Remember we had the contraceptive expresses to Belfast. We might have Viagra expresses to Belfast if there was not some kind of co-ordination," he added.
Mr Mitchell said Viagra had the potential to be a recreational drug and he wondered if there had been any discussions at EU level on the implications of that. Mr O'Dwyer replied that he was not aware of any such discussions, but there had been contacts between various states. What was happening overall in Europe was that there was a wait-and-see policy or a restricted regime in the distribution of the drug. "The only real experience which anybody has at this stage regarding pattern of usage is in America. After an initial high level of usage there has been some drop-off because people realise that the drug is only of value if you have certain problems." Mr O'Dwyer said the aim was to ensure that the drug was made available to those with a genuine medical need for it.
Earlier, Mr Mitchell asked about the reported difference in the cost of the tablet, adding that it was supposed to be on sale in Britain at £4.48 but would cost £9 in Ireland. The chief officer of the GMS payments board, Mr Tom Flood, said while he could not comment on the figures, they would not be typical of the relationship between Irish and UK prices. "For the most part, our drug prices would almost be on par. In some cases we would, in fact, be cheaper than products on the UK market."
Mr O'Dwyer said any information the Department had would suggest that the overall cost of drugs and medicines in Ireland was one of the lowest in the OECD. He said the tablet was produced at three strengths - 25, 50 and 100 - and the price was different in each case. The current recommended dose would be 50, and it would cost about £9 for a private patient and between £6 and £7 if available under the GMS.
