The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) has said that patients in Ireland could get access to new medicines a year earlier, if there were reforms here.
The organisation has published a position paper on 'Faster and Fairer Access to Medicines', which says that it takes 617 days - on average - from application by a pharmaceutical firm, until a new medicine is covered by the HSE for public patients.
It added that 86% of medicines examined as part of its research were covered in excess of the 180 days allowed to the HSE, under the Health Act 2013, for decisions on an application.
IPHA Chief Executive Oliver O'Connor said that patients could access new medicines within a year, rather than, on average, nearly two years after an application to the State, for the medicines to be covered for public patients.
The IPHA represents pharmaceutical firms which invent medicines and it is holding its annual conference today, which will be addressed by the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
The new Programme for Government said the coalition is committed to ensuring that patients have access to news medicines as quickly as possible.
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Late last year, Professor Michael Barry, who heads the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE), the agency responsible for assessing new medicines, said that many new drugs are not value for money.
He also said delays the in drug assessments by NICE for efficacy and value for money can be due to pharmaceutical firms not having submitted all the data needed.
The State bill for medicines last year was over €3.4 billion.
The IPHA has said it is clear that the system for covering new medicines needs to be funded, governed and designed to operate within the legal 180-days timeline set by the Oireachtas.
Meanwhile, a new four-year Framework Agreement on the pricing and supply of medicines between the State and IPHA is due to be negotiated this year.
