Sir, – I was surprised to read that Vincent Murphy (September 3rd) found “a local pharmacy sold atorvastatin over the counter” in Spain for €20 less than he pays in Ireland.
Atorvastatin is a prescription-only medicine throughout the EU, so if a pharmacy in Spain sold it over the counter, then in fact they sold it illegally.
If they are happy to break that law, it seems reasonable to ask a few additional questions. For example, do they employ appropriately qualified staff? Is it a registered pharmacy regulated by a professional body? Are the medicines sourced through legitimate channels? Can the customer trust that the medicines are genuine products, that have passed all required testing?
Mr Murphy goes on to ask “who is getting the extra €20 plus per month in Ireland? The drug companies? The distributors? The pharmacists?” The answer is probably all of the above, as virtually everyone in Ireland earns a lot more than people doing equivalent work in Spain (the average wage in Ireland is about 70 per cent higher than that in Spain, according to Eurostat).
I wonder if Mr Murphy is happy for his income to be cut to Spanish levels, or if he thinks that should apply only to people involved in the supply of medicines? – Yours, etc,