"Irish Patients’ Association co-founder Stephen McMahon said the medicine shortage is ‘worrying’. He said: ‘It’s particularly so for patients with chronic illness. One thing we’re always told as patients is to take your medicine regularly, don’t skip it – and with good reason. But here are patients who  are having to do that very thing.’ Mr McMahon also pointed to price differences between branded and generic drugs as a possible cause why some facilities, particularly private facilities, might not be accessing certain drugs. ‘You could have a station where the bean counters are saying, “not those brand drugs”, [because they] are too expensive.’