How often do you see clients struggling to pay for medication?

RE: How often do you see clients struggling to pay for medication?

Carolyn Edwards — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 11:09:54 GMT

Agreed. Some places have a high mark-up, and a dispensing fee. I've just got a written prescription for my own dog. Two tubes of ointment from an online pharmacy (owned by IVC, so I think I can be sure the meds aren't fake!) for around £70 (including the £25 prescription fee and post and packaging), instead of around £130 where I work. If I'd been able to use the human version, £50 for the equivalent amount.

RE: How often do you see clients struggling to pay for medication?

Selena Carnell — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 18:50:02 GMT

Getting more requests for written prescriptions, they just think we are marking up the prices loads.

RE: How often do you see clients struggling to pay for medication?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 14:02:25 GMT

Diane Hildreth-Osborn - Yes, but the issue this paper is looking at is the cases where clients report they have difficulty affording drugs like the ones from the list above which are available far cheaper for humans. Ie pardale for dogs costs many times more than paracetamol for humans.

RE: How often do you see clients struggling to pay for medication?

Diane Hildreth-Osborn — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 12:49:25 GMT

Most of the requests we get are for veterinary licensed products which can be purchased at online pharmacies, but occasionally they are for human licensed products where there is no animal licensed one.

RE: How often do you see clients struggling to pay for medication?

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 11:49:16 GMT

[quote userid="60273" url="~/f/nonclinical-discussions/32607/how-often-do-you-see-clients-struggling-to-pay-for-medication/179170#179170"]More clients are requesting written prescriptions to purchase medications online, and it often means the difference between these patients being able to use the required medications or not. [/quote]

Diane Hildreth-Osborn - do you think they are trying to get those prescriptions fulfilled with human products at a lower cost? I thought that was not possible (ie that human pharmacies would decline a veterinary prescription?).

Rachel Woodcock Are there any drugs in particular which have been causing problems since being relicensed for vet use (esp from the list in the paper)

Drug

Amoxicillin 250mg

Amlodopine 1.25mg

Apomorphine

Doxycycline 100mg

Lactulose*

Meloxicam

Metoclopramide oral liquid

Metronidazole 200mg

Mirtazapine*

Paracetamol/codeine

Spironolactone 50mg

Tramadol 50mg

Also dunno whether you saw, but VT picked up the story of our paper here: https://www.vettimes.com/news/vets/wellbeing-at-work/purgatory-warning-as-review-of-cascade-raises-drug-cost-concern

Disappointing to get such a dogmatic response which doesn't address the issues raised by the paper. But hopefully we can stimulate a bit of discussion on the subject.

RE: How often do you see clients struggling to pay for medication?

Rachel Woodcock — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 14:06:56 GMT

All the time! It's absolutely ridiculous imo

RE: How often do you see clients struggling to pay for medication?

Diane Hildreth-Osborn — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 06:25:21 GMT

Absolutely.
More clients are requesting written prescriptions to purchase medications online, and it often means the difference between these patients being able to use the required medications or not.

As we are bound to purchase from Veterinary wholesalers/providers, our options are limited as to costings…even taking a mark-up into consideration.