Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 October 2022
688. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to Ireland's proportionate spend on medicines which is decreasing in relation to other countries; if a process is in place to monitor same; if he will take steps to address the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53434/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drugs schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. Spending through the community drugs schemes is monitored and reported by the HSE’s Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS).
The HSE is committed to providing access to as many medicines as possible, in as timely a fashion as possible, from the resources available to it. To make this possible, I have secured €23.4b in funding for our health services in Budget 2023. This is the third year in a row that funding has set a new record.
HSE decisions on which medicines are reimbursed by the taxpayer are made on objective, scientific and economic grounds, on the advice of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE). The NCPE conducts health technology assessments (HTAs) for the HSE and makes recommendations on reimbursement to assist HSE decisions. The NCPE uses a decision framework to systematically assess a drug's clinical and cost effectiveness as a health intervention.
Multiple initiatives exist to try to ensure value for money in the medicines purchased. These include the Framework Agreements on the Supply and Pricing of Medicines 2021-2025, a set of Agreements negotiated with Industry to provide medicines for the HSE at sustainable prices. These are expected to lead to between €600m-700m less being spent on medicines over the course of the deals. The extra headroom provided by these deals will allow the HSE to do more with their resources.
The pipeline of new medicines coming to market remains strong and this government wants to secure fast access to medicines for our patients. Dedicated funding for new drugs was allocated in the past three budgets, totalling €98m. This has enabled the HSE to approve reimbursement for new drugs and new indications of existing drugs in a timely manner, with 52 approvals in 2021 and 46 to date in 2022.
