The unhealthy truth about Ireland’s drugs deficit

Irish patients have access to fewer new medicines than those in other EU countries – and they wait longer to get them

Comparative table showing the number of new medicines (out of 121) available to patients in European countries as of 2018: ‘availability’ means the product has gained access to the reimbursement list

Patients in Ireland are among those with the worst access to new medicines in western Europe, according to a new report that examined access across the continent.

Patients in Britain and Germany enjoyed good access to new drugs. British and German patients were able to access 106 (Britain) and 104 (Germany) of the 121 new drugs approved for use between 2015 and 2017, while patients in Ireland could access only 51 of them.