The Department of Health continues to monitor the supply of COVID-19 therapeutics, in conjunction with the relevant State stakeholders including the HSE. This process involves continued review of EU Joint Procurement Agreement (JPA) proposals, and ongoing engagement with our European partners in this regard.
It is important to note that there exist established National processes which govern the procurement and reimbursement of medicines (including antiviral agents), of which the broader pharmaceutical industry will be aware. These processes provide for the submission by pharmaceutical companies of a pricing application concerning a medicine to the HSE, and the submission of a Rapid Review Document to the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE), in the prescribed manner. The present timeframe for the completion of a rapid review is a few short weeks.
It is worth noting the position of the Beneluxa grouping of Nations (and Ireland is part of the Beneluxa group) concerning the assessment of COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies; the joint Beneluxa statement of 1st October 2021 highlights that it is appropriate at this stage of the pandemic that “these therapies are assessed for value within established national processes, before decisions on reimbursement or procurement are made” (emphasis added).
It is also worth noting that the Nordic countries, via the Nordic Pharmaceutical Forum, are also aligned on this matter (further information can be found at the following link beneluxa.org/news).
