The Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG) and the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science & Industry (IPPOSI) have come together to provide a space for patient groups to independently identify their own issues and concerns and to develop common positions and understandings in this area.

The recommendations in these report are primarily drawn from discussions at a roundtable meeting of patient groups. The roundtables were convened to identify the gaps and weaknesses in the present drug reimbursement process and to highlight good practice, where it exists.

At the meetings, patient groups expressed a deep sense of frustration at the present system. The last thing patient groups want to do is spend time organising protests outside the Oireachtas and appealing to the general public and the media in order for the concerns of their members to be heard. However, under the present reimbursement system many feel there is increasingly no alternative. 

The MRCG and IPPOSI together recognise that many of the issues raised in the reports are already a matter of utmost concern for the Irish Government, opposition parties and senior civil servants in health policy. Nothing in this report seeks to personalise problems or detract from the sincerity and expertise of those in Government/statutory agencies addressing these issues, often with inadequate resources. Likewise, the pharmaceutical industry has played the most crucial role in developing new, innovative and improved drug therapies. This is not always fully recognised or appreciated and has, on occasion, been subject to cynical dismissal in public debate. As patient groups, we have gained an insight into the amazing scientific breakthroughs of recent years which have been largely funded by industry. However, there is room for further reform and transparency as well as efforts to further reduce the prices of drugs.

In February 2018 IPPOSI and MRCG announced the publication of the second “Drug Iceberg” Report. This report lay out key recommendations including a call for the development of a new national strategy on access to medicines.

This report provides an update on the original report, published in 2017, including a number of important developments since the first publication and the outcomes of a multi-stakeholder round-table on 18 October 2017.

Both reports aim to provide an on-going, constructive contribution to the debate on access to new and innovative drug therapies* in Ireland, while recognising the challenges of cost and affordability.