Madam, - Kevin O'Connor writes about the €10.43 saving he made purchasing the "cholesterol zapper" Coversyl in a Spanish pharmacy ("The great foreign drug rush", Healthplus, March 11th). Coversyl is in fact an anti-hypertensive drug, prescribed to lower blood pressure. This simple mix-up would put his customer friends with normal blood pressure at risk of lightheadedness, organ damage or even circulatory collapse due to a reduction in blood pressure below a safe level.
May I suggest that Mr O'Connor might withdraw his drug delivery services until he becomes a little more familiar with the information known by all of the glorified "pharmacologists" mentioned in the article. This surely is a case showing the valuable service provided by pharmacists in the Irish health system.
Mr O'Connor also refers to the cost difference between Spanish and Irish pharmacies. While I readily accept that the present 50 per cent mark-up on private prescriptions is excessive and needs to be reviewed, the hands of the pharmacist are essentially tied with respect to pricing. This is because of the high cost price for drugs charged to pharmacies by Irish pharmaceutical wholesalers.
May I also remind Mr O'Connor, who claims to have saved one family "thousands", of the Drug Payment Scheme (DPS). Under this scheme no Irish family has to pay more than €90 a month for prescription drugs. Perhaps enlightening his friends about this scheme will save them further thousands. - Yours, etc,
TIM MURPHY,
Highfield West,
Cork.