Cost control – tackling Ireland’s spiralling drugs bill

Unless Ireland radically reforms its medicine procurement process, patients will face increasing difficulties accessing affordable medicines, a new group has warned. June Shannon reports Medicines for Ireland, a new organisation made up of some of the country’s leading generic pharmaceutical suppliers, has called for a fundamental reform of medicine policy. The group has warned that without critical reforms and a long-term strategy for medicine procurement, patients will face increasing difficulty in accessing and affording life-saving medicines. Medicines for Ireland is a coming together of the Healthcare Enterprise Alliance and the Irish Generic Manufacturers Association. Its members include Accord Healthcare, Consilient…