Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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646. To ask the Minister for Health if he is aware there is a significant shortage of some medications at the current time; if he is aware that pharmacists are unable to indicate when the issue will be resolved; and the action, if any, his Department is taking to assist in resolving the matter in order to ensure the correct medication is available to those who require it. [22643/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Unfortunately, medicine shortages are a feature of modern health systems worldwide which have been exacerbated by recent worldwide events. There are a multitude of reasons why a medicine may not be available including: shortages of raw materials; manufacturing difficulties; sudden unexpected increase in demand; or product recalls due to potential quality issues. Ireland has a multi-stakeholder medicine shortage framework in place, operated by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) on behalf of the Department of Health. The medicine shortage framework aims to prevent, where possible, and mitigate the impact of medicines shortages. The framework allows for shortages to be carefully managed by the HPRA in close collaboration with the Department, the HSE, industry and healthcare professionals. The HPRA maintains regular contact with the Department of Health regarding medicines shortages.

The HPRA publishes a list of medicines currently in short supply on its website (Medicines Shortages (hpra.ie)) with the reason for the shortage and expected dates for the return of supply. The information is available to assist healthcare professionals in managing medicine shortages when they arise and reduce their impact on patients. The information relating to shortages on the HPRA website is dynamic and changes depending on the current information to hand.