Drop in Viagra ‘on the medical card’ in Galway

The number of medical card holders who received drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) for free in Galway last year fell by 19% – but the taxpayer was still left with a bill of €66,226 for nearly 2,000 locals to avail of the pills under the scheme.

The Local Health Office (LHO) area, which includes both the city and county, had the fourth-highest number of patients in the country who were prescribed ED drugs like Viagra and Levitra on the medical card last year.

A total of 1,914 Galway people received free ED pills under the scheme in 2018 – 462 fewer than the previous year. The total cost also fell by nearly 36%, from €103,225 to €66,226.

The reduction in cost was also attributable to the fact that doctors are no longer permitted to prescribe Cialis for medical-card holders. This lasts longer than other pills, but is substantially more expensive – costing up to €33 per pack, compared to just €8 for generic versions.

The LHO area with the highest number of medical-card holders who received ED drugs last year was Cork North Lee, where 1,931 patients were prescribed the pills at a cost of €74,447.

This was followed by North Dublin and Dublin North Central, both of which had 1,926 medical-card holders in receipt of ED drugs last year at a cost of €69,172 and €66,476, respectively.

Galway was the next highest. Elsewhere in Connacht, 1,177 patients in Mayo received ED drugs under the scheme at a cost of €38,710; while just 523 people in Roscommon availed of the pills, costing €18,678.

Medical card patients are entitled to four ED tablets per month. The most commonly prescribed drugs last year were those containing Sildenafil, which is the active ingredient in Viagra.

Tadalafil, which is the active ingredient in Cialis and Adcirca, was the second-most prescribed ED drug. The least-frequently prescribed medication was Vardenafil, which is the active ingredient in Levitra.

Nationally, a total of 39,315 patients were prescribed the drugs under the medical-card scheme last year at a cost of €1.4 million. This represented a reduction of 18 percent in the number of people, and a fall of around €600,000 in the cost.

The cost of providing ED drugs to medical-card holders over the past nine years has exceeded €45 million. However, substantial savings have been achieved since certain brands were excluded from the scheme. The annual spend has fallen from €4.5 million in 2016 to €2.1 million in 2017, and €1.4 million last year.

The data was released by the Health Service Executive (HSE) under the Freedom of Information Act. A spokesperson for the agency declined to comment.