Ireland Signs New Medicines Agreements to Speed Up Patient Access to Treatments
Ireland signs new medicines agreements promising faster access to treatments for patients, with a 180-day reimbursement target set for 2029.
The Government has finalised two landmark Framework Agreements on the Supply and Pricing of Medicines, promising faster access to new treatments for patients across Ireland, including those here in Cork.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD signed the agreements today, Wednesday 4 March, with Medicines for Ireland (MFI) and the Irish Pharmaceutical Health Association (IPHA). The deals follow Agreements in Principle announced in January and were developed in close partnership between the Department of Health, the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service and Digitalisation, and the HSE.
The agreements are designed to strengthen the security of medicine supply, reduce the risk of shortages, and accelerate access to new treatments. A key commitment is a structured process aimed at achieving a 180-day timeline for reimbursement decisions by the first quarter of 2029.
Both agreements will run until 31 December 2029.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said:
"These Agreements reflect Ireland's commitment to enhancing security of supply of medicines, rewarding innovation, and ensuring affordability, to enable our health services to provide the right care in the right place at the right time for patients across Ireland."
The agreement with MFI focuses on strengthening the supply of biosimilar and generic medicines, while the IPHA agreement addresses access to innovative medicines and aims to provide greater certainty for patients.
The Minister added:
"The new Framework Agreement with IPHA represents a major step forward in improving access to innovative medicines and providing for improved certainty and predictability for patients in Ireland. It strikes a balance between investing in new medicines, fostering research and development while maintaining financial sustainability."
This year's medicines budget is the largest on record, increased by over €200 million, with €30 million ringfenced specifically to support access to the latest medicines. By comparison, Budgets 2021 to 2025 allocated €158 million to be invested in new drugs for patients.
During the previous agreements period from 2021 to 2025, 250 new medicines were introduced in Ireland, including 101 for cancer treatment and 69 for rare diseases.
The State and the pharmaceutical sector have also agreed to develop a future strategic partnership, including a sandboxed early access programme for rare diseases proof of concept, in line with Programme for Government commitments.
According to the OECD, Ireland has the third highest rate of state coverage of pharmaceutical expenditure in Europe. The agreements aim to ensure that level of investment remains sustainable, as medicines now account for almost €1 in every €8 of public health spending.
Final agreement documents are due to be published in the coming days.
