The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (Ipha) has reported prolonged delays in the approval and availability of new advanced medicines for Irish patients. Freshly gathered data shows that it takes about 759 days – slightly more than two years – for approval of medicines made by its member companies. This is observed in the 23 medications made accessible to the public for the first time in the previous year.
Furthermore, medicines which necessitate a health technology evaluation experienced additional delays, averaging at beyond 1000 days before reaching the patients who need them. Ipha announced this data ahead of their annual conference taking place in Dublin.
The industry group voiced the patients’ need to know that through their healthcare providers, they can access high quality medications for treating conditions such as cancer, obesity, and rare diseases amongst others. They also stressed the need for improvement in the approval timelines.
The pharmaceutical industry conforms to the necessity of robust clinical and economic appraisals, however, they claim that the Irish reimbursement system might involve 20 to 30 individual steps, contingent upon the specific medicine in question.
Ipha’s CEO, Oliver O’Connor, stated that shortening the extensive timelines for reimbursement will enhance patient care standards and results across Ireland. He also stated that the protracted approval timeline has repercussions, with private patients being able to access cancer therapies via their health insurance soon after the therapy obtains a European Medicines Agency license. Yet, public patients usually wait around two years after this point to access the same treatment.
Mr. O’Connor expressed hope that the Minister would implement his funding pledges with the endorsement of much-needed staff in the pricing and reimbursement system. He underscored the importance of these highly specialized experts to the country’s health, equating them with frontline workers.
Ipha president Michael O’Connell stated, “Patients require a more efficient system; they are justified in demanding a fundamental revision of the process. We are prepared to join with all stakeholders to ensure this necessary reformation is accomplished.”
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