Faster access deal raises Irish pressure on 180‑day reimbursement target
Under new framework agreements in principle between the Department of Health and the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) and Medicines for Ireland (MFI), the Government pledges a ‘structured process’ towards completing health technology assessments and reimbursement decisions within 180 days. The commitment runs to the end of 2029 and is backed by plans from 2026 to expand the capacity of the Health Service Executive Drugs Group, the committee that reviews National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) advice before reimbursement decisions.
The Department signals a behavioural ask from industry: IPHA companies are expected to file for reimbursement within six months of European Commission marketing authorisation, tightening alignment between regulatory and payer timelines. NCPE guidance already sets out detailed submission and evidence requirements, and the new deal will heighten the cost of late or incomplete dossiers that stall HSE decision‑making.
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, links these reforms to a sizeable funding uplift, confirming that the medicines budget will rise by more than €200 million in 2026, with €30 million ringfenced specifically for the ‘latest medicines’. That earmark strengthens the hand of the HSE Corporate Pharmaceutical Unit and the Drugs Group when they seek price concessions in return for earlier access under existing legal obligations to decide within 180 days once an application is deemed complete.
If the monitoring framework and joint oversight committee described in the agreements have the intended effect, companies will face closer scrutiny of dossier quality and launch sequencing, and less room to take advantage of national clocks that start only when the HSE accepts an application as valid.
Source: Department of Health, Ireland
Link: Minister announces new Framework Agreements in principle with Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) and Medicines for Ireland (MFI) on Supply and Pricing of Medicines
Date: 20 January 2026