Irish Medicines Board drawing up list of generic drugs to help reduce costs

In Ireland, drugs to treat medical conditions such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and stomach ulcers will be the first to be subjected to new generic substitution regulations in a bid to bring down costs, reports the Irish Independent newspaper.

Recently passed legislation allows for a list of branded drugs and their generic equivalents to be drawn up with a recommendation to use the cheapest, most cost-effective medicine. It will mean that if patients want a more expensive drug they will have to pay the difference in price, said Pat O'Mahony, chief executive of the Irish Medicines Board (IMB).

Irish consumers have increased awareness of generic medicines