Only 14 packets of Selincro, the alcohol pill, have been sold in Iceland since they hit the market, reports Vísir.
Selincro is the first medicine approved for the reduction of alcohol consumption in adult patients with alcohol dependence and a high drinking risk level. Another drug that does the same and is also sold in Iceland is Antabus.
Pharmacist Aðalsteinn Loftsson said that he had not expected Selincro to sell at all when they became available and was surprised that 14 packets had been sold.
“We have received prescription slips for [Selincro] but they don’t get picked up. This is a common issue as quite a lot of prescriptions never get filled. [Selincro] is also quite a bit more expensive than Antabus, though it’s probably a better drug.” said Loftsson.
The cost for a packet with 14 tablets of Selincro costs around 12.800 ISK, as opposed to Antabus which costs 5000 ISK for 50 tablets.