€1.4m bill to treat erectile dysfunction
TAXPAYERS got stiffed with a €1.4million bill for erectile dysfunction drugs for more than 47,000 medical-card holders last year, the Irish Mirror can reveal.
Most of the medicines were given out in Galway closely followed by Limerick.
Another 532 people got ED drugs for free on the Longterm Illness scheme, which covers the cost of certain meds and appliances for people with a range of conditions including cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities.
The annual bill presented to the taxpayer for ED drugs has fallen dramatically since 2013, when Pfizer’s Viagra came off patent, which allowed other pharmaceutical companies to produce generic versions.
AVAILABLE
Since January 2021, Viagra has also been available over the counter in the form of Viagra Connect, which contains 50mg of the active ingredient, sildenafil citrate, whereas higher doses are available on prescription.
Other ED medicines provided to patients under the medical-card scheme last year included tadalafil, which is the generic version of Cialis; and avanafil, which is the cheaper version of Stendra.
A significant number of medical-card holders were still prescribed Viagra last year, despite the HSE having previously stated it would only cover the cost of cheaper generic options.
The cost difference is substantial. For example, 33 patients in Limerick were prescribed 50mg Viagra at a cost of €4,185.44 last year an average of €126.83 each.
Another 123 patients in the county were prescribed 50mg of the Viagra generic,
Vizarsin, at a cost of €2,966.87 or €24.12 each.
The local Health Office in North Dublin serviced 2,356 patients availing ED drugs under the scheme, while
2,324 were in Cork North-lee.
West Cork had the lowest number with 432. This was followed by Dun Laoghaire with 616, and Roscommon with 648.