Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 May 2023
794. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the measures being put in place to address the shortages of 241 medicines, including 13 which are on the World Health Organisation, WHO, critical list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24438/23]
View answerAt any given time, shortages of medicines can occur in any country. Increases in demand for medications and medicines shortages have been observed in the UK, throughout the EU and across the world in recent months.
Ireland experienced some shortages of antibiotics earlier this year – as did most other European countries. The increase in shortage notifications from the pharmaceutical industry in the first quarter of the year was directly related to the increased demand due to the winter surge.
There has been reduction in notifications since this time, coinciding with a stabilisation in the supply, for example, with paediatric antibiotics. Shortages have not disappeared, but there are factors, such as the winter surge, that can put additional pressure on a health system and on medicine supply. It will take time for supply chains to stabilise following this period of excess demand.
In Ireland, whilst individual brands or strengths of a medication may be temporarily unavailable, for the vast majority of medicines supplied in Ireland, there are alternatives, such as different strengths, brands or similar classes, to ensure continuity of care.
Unfortunately, medicine shortages are a feature of modern health systems worldwide which have been exacerbated by recent worldwide events. There are a multitude of reasons why a medicine may not be available including: shortages of raw materials; manufacturing difficulties; sudden unexpected increase in demand; or product recalls due to potential quality issues. Ireland has a multi-stakeholder medicine shortage framework in place, operated by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) on behalf of the Department of Health. The medicine shortage framework aims to prevent, where possible, and mitigate the impact of medicines shortages. The framework allows for shortages to be carefully managed by the HPRA in close collaboration with the Department, the HSE, industry and healthcare professionals. The HPRA maintains regular contact with the Department of Health regarding medicines shortages.
The HPRA publishes a list of medicines currently in short supply on its website, at www.hpra.ie, with the reason for the shortage and expected dates for the return of supply. The information is available to assist healthcare professionals in managing medicine shortages when they arise and reduce their impact on patients. The information relating to shortages on the HPRA website is dynamic and changes depending on the current information to hand.
Regarding the WHO list of essential medicines, this is a general list aimed at, in the main, developing countries. For example, the list includes treatments for African trypanosomiasis, snake anti-venom and non-medicinal products, such as condoms. It is not a comprehensive list of medicines critical for Irish citizens.
