“Irish public health spending has increased 14-fold over the last 50 years and our state expenditure on pharmaceuticals has doubled in just the last ten years, from €1.3 billion in 2012, to €2.6 billion in 2022. It now represents one of the largest components of overall health expenditure, and with the growth in demand for high tech and increasingly personalised drugs, the pressure for further increased spending is only going in one direction. But our successes as a nation notwithstanding, State resources are finite.

Together, we need to find ways to enable you to continue innovating and bringing these miraculous products into the world, while at the same time ensuring access to them for as many people as possible while maintaining sustainable public finances.”

– Tánaiste Micheál Martin speaking at the IPHA 2023 annual conference dinner

The IPHA annual conference 2023 attracted strong interest from the pharmaceutical industry, Department of Health and HSE attendees. The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD noted that personalised medicine is set to be the most radical innovation in patient care. However, the State needs to do more to enable these gains to reach that patient. The four-year funding frameworks in place with Medicines for Ireland and IPHA, along with recommendations from the recently published Mazars report on the review of governance arrangements to support the HSE drug reimbursement process, will bring more transparency and timeliness to drug reimbursement. Minister Donnelly spoke of his desire to drive an eHealth strategy, something the IPU has been advocating for, over many decades. He noted that the forthcoming EU Pharmaceutical Strategy will bring significant sectoral changes for the pharmaceutical industry. He took pride in recent advancements in the health service under his tenure, but noted that access to healthcare remains a critical issue, alongside the challenge to deliver more care, and in particular more preventative care, in the community.

Neal Bartra from Deloitte’s Life Sciences and Health Care division provided a fascinating insight into the Deloitte Future of health (2040) report, noting that the current wave of healthcare innovation is constructed around the empowered consumer and the use of interconnected data. Technologies such as AI will be driving change, speed, and agility in drugs manufacturing.

Several speakers with personal experience of orphan drugs and critical illness urged the industry and Government to bring innovation forward at a speed where they can assist patients. The patient’s voice was very powerful and provided a reminder of the ‘why’ behind medical care.

The day ended with Robert Watt, Secretary General of the Department of Health enjoying a ‘fireside chat’ with IPHA Chief Executive, Oliver O’Connor. Mr Watt echoed the Minister for Health’s concern that the cost of medicines is soaring, but that there is still a requirement to have an appropriate mechanism for new drugs to be reimbursed in the State, and this needs to be happening within an acceptable timeline. He also reiterated a commitment from the Department in the area of digital health. Finally, in a response to a question on Sláintecare, he noted that there is a clear commitment to implement Sláintecare, and this year will see further work to create regional Health Areas (RHAs), and progress digital health.

Key conference messages for the IPU:

• Ireland needs more timely access within the drug reimbursement approval process;
• The Minister for Health is committed to making the drug reimbursement approval process more streamlined;
• The revision of the pharmaceutical strategy at EU level will require careful consideration on its potential impact on community pharmacy; and
• Ireland needs a fit-for-future purpose Pharmaceutical Strategy, and this will enable the Government to maximise opportunities in pharmaceutical developments for all the citizens of Ireland.