The Marie Keating Foundation welcomes the announcement by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill of a review of Ireland’s medicines approval and reimbursement system.

The reimbursement process determines whether new medicines will be funded by the HSE and made available to patients through the public health system. Due to the current protracted system, medicines that have received approval via the European Medicines Agency can often take years before they are approved in Ireland.

Recent data shows that it has taken an average of 729 days for new medicines to move from application to availability for patients in Ireland. For people affected by cancer and other serious illnesses, these delays can have a significant impact on treatment options, quality of life and, in some cases, survival.

The commitment to also explore an early access pathway for new treatments is particularly encouraging, especially for people living with rare diseases and other serious conditions where time is often critical.

This review, alongside the recently agreed Framework Agreement between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, signals growing momentum behind efforts to improve access to innovative medicines in Ireland and offers real hope that patients will be able to access new treatments more quickly in the future.

Liz Yeates, CEO of the Marie Keating Foundation, added: “For patients facing cancer and other serious illnesses, time matters. Timely access to innovative medicines is a vital part of delivering the best possible care and achieving the best possible outcomes.

“We would like to thank Minister Carroll MacNeill for listening to patients, families and advocacy organisations and for recognising the need to examine how the current system can work better. This review represents a really important opportunity to reduce delays, improve access to innovative treatments and ensure patients can benefit from new advances in medicine sooner.

“We look forward to engaging constructively with the review process and supporting measures that help ensure people can access the treatments they need, when they need them.”