Generics market share doubles to reach 50%

By Gary Culliton. The market share of generics for the leading pharmaceuticals in the GMS Scheme doubled between 2010 and 2012, to reach 50 per cent, new research shows. However, increased generic penetration has not led, up until now, to substantial savings for the State or the cash-paying patient, ESRI researchers found. In Ireland, in contrast to much of the EU, generic prices tend to be similar to those of the brand name manufacturer. The ESRI has published a new report, ‘Ireland: Pharmaceutical Prices, Prescribing Practices and Usage of Generics in a Comparative Context’, which assesses the level of pharmaceutical…