Ireland accelerates pharma access through new framework agreements

Ireland has implemented two landmark four-year agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers to fast-track patient access to medicines, stabilise supply chains, and provide long-term certainty for drug pricing.

One deal involves the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) representing research-based drug developers, while the other includes Medicines for Ireland (MFI), covering generics and biosimilars. Both agreements run through 2029.

Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill described the measures as a message “to patients and innovators” supporting “innovation, affordability, and the stable supply of generic and biosimilar medicines”. She highlighted an additional €200m in spending on medicines this year, with €30m dedicated to access for new treatments, framing the agreements as a route to “certainty and predictability” in a historically volatile reimbursement environment.

IPHA welcomed the agreement as a mechanism to address longstanding delays in reimbursement decisions. Shane Ryan, IPHA president, said the deal would help “patients gain faster access” to innovative medicines and support clinicians in providing optimal care. IPHA chief executive Oliver O’Connor described it as “a turning point” for both patients and Ireland’s pharmaceutical sector, reinforcing the country’s global life sciences position.

The framework reforms the entire pricing and reimbursement pathway, including Health Technology Assessment (HTA), and expands the HSE Drugs Group’s review capacity to meet statutory 180-day reimbursement targets. IPHA companies commit to submitting applications within six months of European Commission approval, reducing gaps between EU authorisation and Irish market access.

The MFI agreement focuses on generics and biosimilars, introducing tiered pricing, supply diversification, and accelerated licencing processes. Strategic pilots for early access to rare-disease medicines are also planned, offering controlled early treatment while evidence is collected to inform reimbursement decisions.

Explore the full story on Ireland’s new pharma agreements and their implications for life sciences investment.