John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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603. To ask the Minister for Health when the full health technology assessment of immunisation against RSV will start; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41122/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In October 2023, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) submitted advice to the Department of Health advising that European Medicines Agency (EMA) authorised Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation for infants and persons over 65yrs, are safe and effective and should be considered for use in Ireland.

In its advice, NIAC noted that further analysis of cost effectiveness and programmatic considerations would be required to determine the most appropriate use of RSV immunisation in Ireland.

Following consideration of NIAC's advice, the Department requested HIQA to carry out a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) to determine firstly, whether infant or adult vaccination would provide the greatest benefit in reducing healthcare utilisation due to RSV infection, and secondly, what the most cost-effective RSV immunisation strategy for Ireland would be.

The request was revised in light of the last RSV season and the Department requested that HIQA undertake a rapid HTA of immunisation against RSV in Ireland which was published in August of this year. The outcome of this HTA informed the development of the infant RSV immunisation programme which is currently underway. The full HTA which will inform future developments of any RSV immunisation programme introduced in Ireland for infants and adults commenced in Autumn of this year.