asked the Minister for Health the number of drug companies manufacturing drugs in Ireland (a) manufacturing for the Irish market (b) manufacturing and selling their products to tablet manufacturing companies in Ireland and (c) manufacturing tablets only, as distinct from bulk chemicals; and the amount of imported bulk drugs.
Written Answers. - Drug Manufacture.
402.
The following is the position in so far as information is available: (a) 43; (b) 250 in addition to the 43 Irish drug manufacturers; (c) not available. The nature and variety of raw materials used in finished drugs are extremely wide; (d) 43 (of tablet and other dosage forms).
Figures are not available of the amount of bulk drug substances imported.
403.
asked the Minister for Health if the Government is willing to force foreign companies to license the manufacturing techniques of certain drugs; the groups of drugs the Government would be most interested in having made in Ireland; if the health services will discriminate between Irish products and their foreign counterparts; if so, how; if this type of import substitution will receive special attention from the IDA; and the type of commencement grants that will be available i.e. product development, marketing, training.
It would not be open to the Government to consider compulsion of this kind in view of our EEC obligations and our industrial promotion policy. Discrimination in favour of Irish products would also be precluded by our membership of the EEC.
The groups of drugs which the Government would be most interested in having made here are those which are most frequently used. These include antibiotics, sedatives, anti-hypertensives and anti-inflammatories which are already being manufactured in this country. The provision of further capacity to manufacture these and other drugs would depend on its viability in relation to local demand and export potential.