Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to require pharmaceutical companies, medical equipment suppliers and their servants or agents, to declare payments, gifts, donations or other transfers of values provided to healthcare professionals or health care organisations on an annual basis.

I am happy to introduce the Healthcare (Transparent Payments) Bill with my colleagues, Deputies Cullinane and Seán Crowe. We know that payments to healthcare professionals and organisations can create conflicts of interest. Evidence shows that receipt of payments from the pharmaceutical industry, for example, is associated with higher prescribing rates, higher prescribing costs, increased use of specific drug classes, including opioids, and lower prescribing quality, with consequent impact on health outcomes and, in public health systems, on the public purse. The popular programme "Dopesick" highlighted an extreme case to great effect in the context of the opioid epidemic in the United States. In Ireland, tens of millions of euros are paid to healthcare professionals and organisations each year by the pharmaceutical industry. While a voluntary register of these payments is currently in place, recent research conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland found that the identity of many recipients is anonymous, while other payments may not be reported at all. Payments from medical equipment suppliers or medical device companies are also excluded.

The current voluntary system is inadequate. It is not fit for purpose. The Healthcare (Transparent Payments) Bill is needed to bring Ireland in line with international best practice and is a measure in the interest of professionals, organisations and the general public. This legislation would require pharmaceutical companies and medical equipment suppliers to declare all payments to the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, on an annual basis and provides for penalties for failure to do so. The Bill also provides for the HPRA to establish and maintain the register and to ensure it is searchable and accessible to the public. Such a system will enhance transparency, public trust and ethical standards, while providing a regulated environment for productive collaboration. I commend the Bill to the House.

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