Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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203. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made by her Department regarding the Programme for Government commitment to explore early access schemes for medicines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63426/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I recognise the importance of timely access for patients to new medicines.

The Programme for Government contains a suite of measures on medicines which my officials will seek to progress over the lifetime of this government.

Sustainability remains a core priority for the Government. It is crucial, given high levels of expenditure growth across the health sector in recent years and the new challenging economic conditions, that medicines expenditure does not come at a cost to other health areas.

Officials are at present, actively engaging with the pharmaceutical industry to secure the successor multi-year Framework Agreements on the Supply and Pricing of Medicines on behalf of the State. Due to the commercially confidential nature of these negotiations the State is unable to comment on these negotiations at this time.

Supported by 158 million euros of funding, in the last four years, the State has delivered access to 238 new medicines. Ninety-seven (97) of these were for cancer and sixty-four (64) of these were for rare diseases. Budget 2026 allocated 30 million euro in funding for new medicines.

The Government has introduced a suite of new measures to enhance capacity in the HSE’s pricing and reimbursement system including thirty-four (34) additional staff and a medicines application tracker to increase transparency of the process.

Access to medicines requires industry and the State to work together, through timely assessment, and reasonable pricing with fully completed HTAs (Health Technology Assessments). This partnership has directly benefited patients, for example those with cancer and rare diseases.

As stated in the Programme for Government, consideration will be given to early access mechanisms for medicines. These mechanisms and their effects are complex and must be evaluated carefully.