07-05-2025
Ireland has lowest availability for new cancer medicines in Western Europe
Ireland has the lowest availability for new cancer medicines in Western Europe, according to the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA).
Only one in four of 56 new cancer treatments licensed since 2020 are currently available in Ireland, the association said.
The organisation has cited new data from a study for the European pharmaceutical body EFPIA, which shows that patients in Ireland continue to wait longer than their peers in most Western-European countries to access life-enhancing new medicines.
The survey of 36 European countries, including 27 in the European Union, covers the full four years between 2020 and 2023, analysing 173 innovative medicines authorised for use by the European Medicines Agency.
Of the 56 oncology medicines which were granted a European Medicines Agency (EMA) licence since 2020, only 14, or 25%, are currently available in Ireland.
Almost two-year wait for access
Cancer patients in Ireland continue to wait almost two years or 644 days, post-EMA authorisation, to access newly-licensed medicines.
This is 55 days longer than last year and above the EU average of 586 days, according to Oliver O'Connor, the IPHA Chief Executive.
He said that a new framework agreement this year with the State can be the vehicle through which to reform the reimbursement system to deliver faster and fairer access to new medicines.
The current agreement is due to expire in September.
The United Cancer Advocates Network (UCAN) said there is no early access scheme here, so Irish patients are forced to wait for full assessments and negotiations with drug companies to take place.
It said that that many patients here are affected by the lack of access and some may not be aware they are missing out on life saving and life extending medicines.
It wants an investigation of early access schemes, a review of the drugs reimbursement process and a more co-ordinated approach at European level.
UCAN said the situation in Ireland had disimproved since the last data on waiting to access innovative medicines was published.
Other Western European countries analysed for the study with higher rates of availability include: Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, France, England, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Iceland.
