Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2026
830. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will address concerns regarding the cost and accessibility of insulin pump therapy and associated aftercare services to raise the case of a person whose insulin pump is currently covered under the medical card scheme, but who reports that individuals without a medical card face prohibitive costs in accessing this treatment (details supplied). [47649/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra831. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health whether she is aware of concerns regarding both the affordability of insulin pump technology and the adequacy of aftercare services provided to patients; and if a review is underway in relation to the pricing structures and supply practices of manufacturers (details supplied). [47650/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra832. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the measures that will be introduced to ensure that persons who require insulin pump therapy are not prevented from accessing or maintaining this treatment due to excessive costs. [47651/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 830, 831 and 832 together.
The Government is committed to investing in new medicines. Budgets 2021-2025 allocated an additional €158 million for new drugs, which has facilitated the introduction of 270 new medicines, to date. 74 of these new medicines were for rare diseases. Budget 2026 allocated €30 million of funding available for new drugs to be allocated from the overall additional €217 million in funding allocated for medicines.
Reimbursement support for CGM sensors at this point in time is based on the HIQA HTA and is for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus regardless of age, who have required insulin from the outset. Reimbursement does not extend to other cohorts such as people with type 2 diabetes who require insulin, or patients previously diagnosed with type 2 diabetes which is now classified as type 1 diabetes based on laboratory investigations such as C-peptide measurement or diabetes-specific autoantibodies. To date, a HTA of CGM sensors for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus or other types of diabetes excluded from the HTA referenced above, such as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), type 3c diabetes, monogenic forms of diabetes etc. has not been undertaken. Therefore, there is limited information to support the extension of reimbursement to this cohort, including cost-effectiveness assessment and budget impact of same.
An application for reimbursement support of CGM sensors can be submitted for any patient, and each application is reviewed centrally by the HSE-Medicines Management Programme (MMP) on a case-by-case basis.
On the 21st of May 2026, The Diabetes Policy and Services Review: A Strategy for Better Care was launched.
This is Ireland’s first national strategy for diabetes. It sets out recommendations for action in relation to type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, diabetes in pregnancy and paediatric diabetes. The strategy marks a major milestone in diabetes care in Ireland, representing the development of a unified approach to the delivery of diabetes care.
In terms of pricing in the private market the Minister has no powers over the commercial decision-making of how individual companies price medicines or medical devices to private customers. These companies operate as commercial entities in a competitive market.
