Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1556. To ask the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of the cancer patient advocacy group (details supplied) regarding the provision of cancer treatment drugs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30174/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The recently published Programme for Government (Securing Ireland's Future) contains a suite of measures on medicines which my officials will seek to progress over the lifetime of this government.

The State is committed to providing timely access to new and innovative medicines to all patients. Budgets 2021 to 2024 allocated an additional €128 million for new medicines, which has facilitated the introduction of 194 new medicines including 74 new medicines for cancer. Budget 2025 allocated €30 million for new drugs to come from efficiencies to be identified by the HSE.

In my time as Minister for Health, I have had engagement with patients and the pharmaceutical industry to listen to their concerns around faster access to new medicines. In 2025 the State is due to negotiate successor agreements to the Framework Agreements on the Supply and Pricing of Medicines with the pharmaceutical industry which I hope will enhance access to new medicines for patients.

It is important to note that the timing of company applications for new medicine reimbursement in different countries can vary for several reasons, not least the available market share in each country.

Once a company responsible for the commercialisation of a new medicine receives marketing authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), it can apply for reimbursement in the country (or countries) of its choice. Ireland encourages all manufacturers to apply for reimbursement once marketing authorisation for a new medicine or new indication is granted by the European Medicines Agency. Ireland, by virtue of its size and market share, may not always be prioritised by a company in the first stages of marketing a new product.

On foot of the recommendations of a review of the pricing and reimbursement system, which was published in 2023, an additional 34 staff were hired across the Pricing and reimbursement system in 2024. This is a significant investment by the State and will have a positive impact on the speed of assessment of new medicine applications that are received.

Another key recommendation was the implementation of a pricing and reimbursement medicines tracker to be developed by the HSE. This tracker has now been launched with the initial iteration available since December 2024. This will provide transparency and certainty to patients and industry on the current status of the pricing and reimbursement applications of a drug. In 2025, the HSE National Service Plan will continue the tracker’s development with the introduction of indicative timelines for each step of a medicine’s assessment process.