Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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596. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the medicines that are in short supply at present; if he will give a list and breakdown of each product; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9792/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) publishes a list of medicines currently in short supply on its website with the reason for the shortage and expected dates for the return of supply. This information is dynamic and changes depending on the current information the HPRA has to hand, including removal from the list when a shortage has been resolved.

The list of shortages in tabular form is publicly available and can be found here: www.hpra.ie/homepage/medicines/medicines-information/medicines-shortages

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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597. To ask the Minister for Health the measures his Department is taking to ensure our competitiveness in securing medicines that are in short supply at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9793/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that many of the recent medicine shortages were caused by an exceptional increase in demand for certain products to treat winter illnesses; in some cases this demand was two to three times greater than the same period in previous years. This demand was seen across Europe and indeed in other countries around the world.

The level of demand for products to treat winter illnesses has since levelled off and that problems with the supply of most of these products has eased somewhat.

To combat the recent supply issues, a number of initiatives were undertaken via the Medicines Shortages Framework, including extensive engagement with manufacturers to increase supply to Ireland, the provision of updated clinical guidance for prescribers, and the creation of a web page with up-to-date information on shortages and alternative products available.

My Department continues to work closely with the Health Products Regulatory Authority to ensure that the Medicines Shortages Framework is fully utilised to ensure that everything possible is done to mitigate against the impact of medicines shortages when they do occur.

It is important to highlight that in the case of medicines used most often in Ireland, there are typically multiple alternatives available from various sources that remain available to ensure continuity of treatment. For example, whilst one strength of ezetimibe (pronounced ezet-i-mibe, there is no phonetic emphasis anywhere in the word and no pauses between syllables) only containing medicines is currently in short supply, there are 49 ezetimibe products authorised by the HPRA that can be generically interchanged, and often without the need for prescriber involvement. Aa an additional example, whilst a nasal spray used to treat hay fever is short, there are multiple other non-prescription treatments for hay fever available.

My officials are looking at all ways in which we can be primed to adapt to medicines shortages when they do occur. This includes development of a framework to develop protocols on therapeutic alternatives for managing serious shortages as required.

The global nature of the medicine supply chain means a coordinated European approach is required to address shortages issues in the longer term. I support the current workstreams ongoing by the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency in this regard and Ireland is actively participating in this work.

In terms of competitiveness, I am satisfied that Ireland’s price offering for medicines is comparable with other European countries. Under the terms of the Framework Agreements which we have in place with manufacturers, list prices in Ireland are aligned with average prices in other EU States and any discounts achieved on these list prices are part and parcel of the Agreements between my Department, the HSE and industry.