Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)

I am pleased to hear the Senator welcomes the 34 new staff who have been put in place and the efforts made to enhance and improve the pricing and reimbursement system, including the significant additional staffing to which we have referred. To fully benefit patients, the pharmaceutical industry must also play its part. Ireland is open for business and encourages timely applications for reimbursement with reasonable pricing offers - that is really important. We are confident that timely engagements and applications from industry for new and innovative medicines to be reimbursed will support faster and improved access to medicines for patients in Ireland.

The State has made considerable investments in new medicines in recent years. In 2023, more than €3.2 billion was spent on medicines by the State. That represents nearly one in every eight euro of public money that is spent on health. I think the Senator can see the level of commitment from the Department on this.