Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes. It has increased significantly. According to the OECD’s “Health at a Glance 2023” report, which was published not that long ago, Ireland spends a great deal on medicines compared with some other countries. Part of that might have to do with price, part of it might have to do with volume. I believe there are savings to be had. I have discussed this with the Department and the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, and there is agreement on it. There are biosimilars to which we can switch. There are some big biologic medicines that we spend a great deal of money on. If we can quickly switch to biosimilars and from patented to generic drugs, there are material savings to be had.

The commitment I have given is that any of those savings will be reinvested in new medicines and therapies next year.