Minister for Health Mary Harney has said pharmacists will continue to earn high margins from the medicines they dispense, when new reduced fees come into force on 1 August to secure savings.
On RTÉ's News at One, Ms Harney also said that over 800 pharmacists will continue to dispense medicines to their customers after that date, despite the row with the Irish Pharmacy Union over the fee cuts.
Ms Harney's comments come as pharmacists claimed at an emergency meeting of the IPU today that the country is ten days away from a crisis in the supply of medicines because of the row.
Around 1,000 members of the IPU are attending the meeting.
Some pharmacists have decided they will not dispense methadone to patients as part of their protest.
IPU President Liz Hoctor told the meeting it was a crisis situation and that the union had sought a meeting with the Health Minister to discuss ways of reducing the national medicines bill.
She also described the Health Service Executive's contingency plans to supply medicines during the dispute as inadequate.
The IPU is taking action because it says the Government has decided to cut payments to pharmacists by 34%.
However, a spokesman for Ms Harney said that the payments will be cut by 24%.
Over 70m prescriptions are issued each year under community drug programmes, such as the medical card and long-term illness scheme.
Minister Harney last month announced that payments to pharmacists were to be cut to secure savings on the soaring drugs bill.
