The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7236 p218
15 February 2003

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News summary

Irish plan to cap multiple contracts

A cap on the allocation of health board dispensing contracts is being recommended in the Irish Republic to prevent multiple companies dominating the pharmacy market.

The plan, proposed by a government-appointed expert group, will limit multi-nationals to 8 per cent of dispensing contracts in each health board area.

But the Irish Pharmaceutical Union, which has been warning of a market takeover by the multiples following deregulation, is not reassured.

It has been arguing for a one-member, one-contract system, such as operates in France and Germany. The proposed cap, it claims, will not reduce the dominance of chains like GEHE, which has acquired more than 50 Irish retail pharmacies in just over two years and is now the largest pharmacy company in Ireland.

All the review group recommendations are likely to be accepted by Irish health minister Micheal Martin.

The review group also recommends scrapping the regulation which bans pharmacists trained outside Ireland from opening their own businesses or running pharmacies within three years. The ban affects as many as 1,000 Irish pharmacists, most of whom qualified in the United Kingdom, because there were insufficient places for them at home.