Ireland is one of the slowest countries in western Europe for making new cancer and rare disease medicines available to patients, according to an industry-funded survey.
Last year, it took an average of 567 days from the time a drug was authorised by the European Medicines Agency to it being made available to patients, compared to an average across Europe of 517 days.
The wait time in Ireland has lengthened since 2020, despite Government funding for new drugs — up almost 100 days from 477 three years ago.
Cancer treatments
The survey by data analysts for EFPIA, the European pharmaceutical industry body, looked at 37 European countries, including 27 in the European Union, between 2018 and 2021 and analysed 168 new medicines authorised by the EMA.
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For cancer treatments, it found the wait before availability in Ireland was 673 days — almost two years. “This wait is far too long for cancer patients as availability of new medicines is a recognised contributor to Ireland’s improved survival rates in cancer,” according to the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), which noted that the shortest wait of any country was just 102 days.
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It takes 877 days for orphan drugs for rare diseases to reach the patient in Ireland after authorisation, putting Ireland 31st out of the 37 countries.
The IPHA says the figures suggest 25 per cent of the delay can be attributed to the timing of reimbursement applications by its members and the rest is accounted for by the State’s assessment and decision-making process, which often includes lengthy price negotiations with companies.
Reimbursement system
“Over the past three budgets, the Government has allocated almost €100 million to new medicines. The figures released today show how urgent it is now to improve the reimbursement system so that new medicines are available to patients and their doctors faster,” said IPHA chief executive Oliver O’Connor. “Process reform has to go alongside new funding.”
Earlier this year, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly set up a working group tasked with recommending changes to the reimbursement system and to report back within six months.
