Medicinal Products Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-21 ============================================================ Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (FF), Carlow-Kilkenny I also welcome the ladies to the House. I spoke to them earlier. I thank Senator Duffy for highlighting this important issue. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The State is aware of the importance of access to new medicines for patients and acutely aware of the plight of patients diagnosed with diabetes. There has been significant investment in new medicines in recent years. In 2023, nearly €1 in every €8 of public money spent on health was spent on medicines. This level of investment is unprecedented in supporting patients to access available new innovative medicines. Budgets 2021 to 2025 included dedicated funding for new medicines of €158 million. Budget 2026 allocated an additional €30 million of funding to new drugs. From 2021 to March 2026, this has enabled the HSE to approve reimbursements for 263 new or existing medicines. The long-term illness, LTI, scheme was established under the Health Act 1970 and regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975, prescribing 16 conditions to be covered by the scheme. Under the LTI scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines and medical and surgical appliances directly related to treatment of illnesses free of charge. Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of the cost of medicines. The Act provides for a rigorous process for the assessment of new medicines for reimbursement. This ensures the right medicines are chosen and approval is at a sustainable price. That is important. For a drug to be reimbursed under the community drug scheme, a company must first submit an application to the HSE. Mounjaro is a medication licensed by the European Medicines Agency, EMA, for use alongside diet and physical activity in adults with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes, on its own when metformin is not suitable, or in combination with other diabetes treatments. It is also authorised for weight management in adults with obesity or those who are overweight and have related health conditions. A pricing and reimbursement application for Mounjaro was first submitted by the applicant in January 2024 for the treatment of adults with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes as monotherapy where metformin is not suitable, or in combination with other diabetes treatments. A second application was submitted in July 2024 for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or those who are overweight and have at least one overweight-related condition. Following the conclusion of a rapid review by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE, for both indications, two health technology assessments, HTAs, were commissioned by the HSE. A HTA is a detailed evaluation of medical technologies, including medicines, to determine their effectiveness, safety, cost efficiency and broader impact on health and the budget of the service. The HTA takes time to evaluate and involves gathering and analysing complex clinical and economic data, consulting stakeholders and aligning with regulatory standards to ensure decisions are evidence based and transparent. I thank the Senator; I have nearly concluded. As I mentioned, I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister. Following the submission of both health technology assessments by the applicant, the HTA report on each indication was submitted by the NCPE to the HSE in December 2025 and February 2026. This has been looked at. The corporate pharmaceutical unit in the HSE, which is the point of contact between the HSE and the pharmaceutical industry, has advised that commercial engagements are ongoing and, due to the commercially confidential nature of these engagements, it is not in a position to comment further at this time. As the Senator can see, there is work going on. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-21/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:50+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-04-21