The President of the Irish Pharmacy Union has said 87% of pharmacies had signed up to the free hormone replacement therapy (HRT) scheme as of Friday afternoon.
Tom Murray said that he anticipated more pharmacies will have signed up over the weekend and into next week, and that it will eventually reach 100% coverage.
Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is a treatment that involves taking hormones to address menopausal symptoms, and which can help to manage related health conditions.
Pharmacies were set to start providing free HRT for women from 1 June after an agreement with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill last month.
The IPU endorsed the scheme following Government commitments including a review of the pharmacy fee structure.
Mr Murray said that pharmacists have always wanted to support women's health and want improved access to women’s health.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said that previous issues that were putting pharmacists off signing up for the scheme had been resolved.
He acknowledged the Minister for Health for moving this forward and making it free.
Mr Murray advised non-medical card holders to sign up for the drug payment scheme to get the medicine, and for women interested in finding out more about the scheme to speak to their pharmacist.
