Sir, – Further to your report “Big Pharma accused of driving up price of drugs” (May 2nd), to deliver international standards of care, we need our health service to have trained professionals adept at using new technologies, including new drug therapies.
Unfortunately, Ireland falls behind western Europe in making new medicines available. We are currently 18th of 26 European countries in the reimbursement of new medicines authorised by the European Medicines Agency. Price is not the problem. Under the agreement we signed with the State two years ago, prices are limited to the average of 14 European countries. These prices are frozen or cut each summer. Other countries in western Europe also scrutinise value for money, negotiate prices and reach agreements with the pharmaceutical industry, but manage to make available more new medicines to patients.
The Minister for Health has suggested a dialogue with our industry on this issue. We look forward to that discussion starting.
We understand there are many priorities within health, and do not underestimate the challenges of prioritisation and adequate funding. Still, continuous access for patients to the innovation of new medicines is essential if our health service is to deliver international standards of care.
We remain open to playing our part in achieving that by dialogue and agreement with State authorities. – Yours, etc,
PHILIP HANNON,
Communications
and Public Affairs Manager,
Irish Pharmaceutical
Healthcare Association,
Wilton Park House,
Wilton Place,
Dublin 2.