MEDICINES
matter July 2010
A strong and supported pharmaceutical industry is central to Ireland’s economic recovery IPHA recently launched the latest edition of its Pharmaceutical Healthcare Facts and Figures 2010 which presents an overview of healthcare in Ireland and the pharmaceutical industry both nationally and globally. Speaking at the launch, Dr Gerald Farrell, IPHA President stated: “It is clear from our latest edition of Pharmaceutical Healthcare Facts and Figures that the international researchbased pharmaceutical industry’s footprint spans the entire island of Ireland. Every day the industry plays a vital role in the lives of Irish patients and consumers. When they fall ill – whether it’s with a cold or something more serious – it is likely that they will take a medicine or treatment to help them get better. Not only that, our industry has
key role to play in helping the Irish economy get better too. The Government has spoken of its desire to create an “Innovation Island” and how this is central to our economic recovery. The international researchbased pharmaceutical industry has been a key driver of our economy over the last forty years. This sector sees, in Ireland, a country which is open for our business and responsive to our needs. That’s why right now we employ more than 24,500 people directly and as many again indirectly. It also explains why we are the largest contributors to corporation tax and why pharmaceuticals, along with chemicals and medical products, account for over 50% of Irish exports. Further investments continue to be made including 1.2 billion euro in the
last three years. But we cannot rest on our laurels. In 2008 the industry in Ireland produced 9 of the top 15 medicines in the world. In 2009 that had dropped to 5 of the top 12 as revenues fell off as a result of patent expirations and subsequent generic competition. In order that the industry can play a full role in Ireland’s economic recovery it is crucial that Ireland maintains its reputation as a country that understands and values innovation and the contribution of the pharmaceutical industry. In this regard Government needs to ensure we maintain our competitive rate of corporation tax, improve the existing R&D tax credit and most important of all that Irish patients continue to have timely access to innovative medicines. The “Innovation Island” and Ireland’s economic recovery depend on these types of actions.”
Click here to visit ipha.ie to access Pharmaceutical Healthcare Facts and Figures 2010.
Supporting Irish patients and the Irish economy
IPHA responds to economic crisis and creates immediate savings on the State bill for medicines On the 1st February 2010 the IPHA announced that the cost of long established postpatented medicines would be reduced by 40%. IPHA set up a special website – checkthelist.ie – on which patients could check to see if their medicines were listed, and the price reduction. The website carried a detailed list of all the medicines and their new, lower prices and included some of the most commonly prescribed medicines in the country. In the first week of the campaign nearly 100,000 unique users visited the website to check the list thus answering the
Association's call to patients to visit the website as those who have to pay for their medicines could save €3 - €4 on every €10 they spend - a potential saving of up to €500 per year. To date checkthelist.ie has had over 250,000 unique users. The reduction in cost of several hundred named, familiar branded medicines was the result of an initiative by the industry to reduce costs for the State by €94m over a 12 month period. On announcing the reduction Mr Brian Murphy, IPHA Director of Commercial Affairs stated: "We were approached by the Minister for Health and Children with a request to create immediate savings on the State bill for medicines. Recognising the difficult position of the Irish economy and
the tough decisions facing the Irish Government our member companies were willing to play their part in helping to reduce costs and prices. This initiative will significantly reduce costs for the State, and it will also reduce prices that patients pay directly for some of their medicines." The constructive relationship which subsists between the IPHA and the State has been a key factor in the industry’s willingness to locate so much foreign direct investment in this country, over €7 billion, in the last ten years.
Click here to visit checkthelist.ie for more information
By the
numbers
medicines 40% Several hundred named, familiar brand medicines
40% €500 5 50 €94 €94 million
reduction in the price of these medicines
€500
Potential saving of up to per year for patients
million in savings for the State
IPHA response to Irish Times article on “Tackling drug costs” Mr Brian Murphy, IPHA Director of Commercial Affairs, recently sent a response to the Editor of the Irish Times with regard to an editorial she wrote entitled “Tackling drug costs”. In it he stated that: “The spend by the Irish State on medicines is, actually amongst the lowest in Western Europe. According to the latest available OECD data, Health at Glance 2007, pharmaceutical expenditure per capita in Ireland was just $320 whilst the OECD average was $413 and countries like Germany ($498), Spain ($515) and France ($554) spent well in excess of this sum. Taking another measure, pharmaceutical expenditure as a percentage of healthcare
expenditure, the OECD average for 2007 is 17.6% whereas the Irish figure is just 14%. The editorial also commented on the significant growth in pharmaceutical expenditure in Ireland in recent years. This growth must be placed in the context of our ageing and growing population and the fact that Ireland was coming from a very low base in the 1990s when it had amongst the lowest levels of life expectancy in the European Union. Over the last decade there has been significant public expenditure on initiatives to improve health in areas such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. These have resulted in tens of thousands of patients being able to access more and better care which enhanced their quality of life and life expectancy.
The level of circulatory system disease fell by 38% between 1997 and 2005. Over the same period the cancer mortality rate fell by 13% and is now close to the EU average. In terms of breast cancer, the five-year relative survival rate is about 80% for the period 1999-2004, the highest rate of improvement in the OECD. A consequence of these welcome initiatives has been the utilisation of medicines on a much greater scale. The growing medicines bill has therefore been a consequence of investment in the development of the health service for public benefit rather than as perhaps suggested by the editorial some form of policy failure.”
medicines.ie certified as trustworthy source of health information by the Health on the Net Foundation medicines.ie, the medicines information online portal developed by the IPHA, has been certified as a trustworthy source of health information by the Health on the Net Foundation (HON).
Better informed patients will lead to safer and more successful health outcomes, a more efficient use of healthcare resources and ultimately, to healthier societies.
Announcing the news, Ms Anne Nolan, IPHA Chief Executive stated that “Patients are being provided with increasing amounts of information from different parties with various objectives sent through multiple channels, particularly the internet. Technology is revolutionising how and when people access information.
medicines.ie provides the necessary information so that patients may stay informed with the latest, regulatory approved, information on prescription and ‘over-thecounter’ (non prescription) medicines available in Ireland.”
The widespread use of the Internet has seen unprecedented numbers of people sourcing information and engaging in discussions about their health and medicines online. This information is however of varying quality and accuracy.
Click here to visit medicines.ie for more information.
New appointments at the IPHA
David Gallagher
Craig Skelton
Michael Byrne
Sally Storey
David Gallagher (Pfizer Healthcare Ireland) was recently appointed IPHA Vice-President of the Association, Craig Skelton (Abbott) was appointed to the IPHA Board of Directors while Sally Storey (GSK) and Michael Byrne (Amgen) were appointed to the IPHA Prescription Medicines Division Strategy Board. A graduate of University College Dublin with a Bachelor of Science Degree and the Michael Smurfit Business School Ireland/KU Leuven, Belgium with a Masters Degree in Business Studies, Mr David Gallagher is currently Managing Director of Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, a position he was appointed to in May 2007. David has significant international experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors having worked in various positions within the industry globally. Craig Skelton is currently General Manager for Abbott Ireland.
Craig joined Abbott in 1987 as a sales representative in New Zealand for the Hospital/Nutritional Division. He has held various support and management responsibilities across several international assignments including marketing and management positions in Abbott Australia, International Business Development in Chicago and Marketing Director – Hospital, HIV and Nutritional products in Japan. Prior to his current role, Craig held leadership roles as General Manager in both Romania and Poland. Craig has a Diploma in Surgical Technology from Willard Graph College, Missouri, USA and a Marketing Diploma from University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. With over 25 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry Mr Michael Byrne, General Manager of Amgen Ireland which is part of the world’s largest biotechnology company has held a wide variety of senior general management
positions within Pharmacia, Chiron and now Amgen. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the National University of Ireland and is a Marketing Graduate from the College of Marketing. Ms Sally Storey, appointed Vice President and General Manager of GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ireland in January 2010, has worked with GlaxoSmithKline for over 13 years. Prior to this she held a variety of commercial roles within the company including head of Commercial Operations in the Emerging Markets and Asia Pacific/Japan region, with responsibility for commercialised pharmaceutical brands and for the commercial support functions such as commercial excellence, market access and pricing, communications and business analysis. Sally is a graduate of Durham University with a year spent at the People’s University in Beijing, China.
Member Company’s News diabetes and management of the condition. With a projected 62% rise in diabetes in Ireland by the year 2020, the site will prove an increasingly valuable source of information for the 200,000 people currently living with diabetes.
Pfizer Healthcare Ireland: UK Premiership footballer Rory Delap, renowned for his devastating throw-in, recently launched ‘Back in Play’, a Europe wide campaign to raise awareness of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a poorly understood condition which can affect the lower back. The campaign, supported by the International AS International Federation (ASIF), kicked off with the launch of the Back in Play website, www.back-in-play.com. The site features a football game which tests a player’s throw-in skills whilst highlighting the symptoms of AS than can differentiate it from other back pain.
Astellas Ireland: Launched in June, with the support of Minister for Older People and Health Promotion, Ms Aine Brady TD, renowned RTE presenter Michael Ryan, Nationwide and leading Urologist consultant Mr Tom Lynch, the Waterworks programme and www.waterworks.ie aims to raise awareness of the condition Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is a condition intimately related to aging. Troublesome LUTS can occur in up to 30% of men older than 65 years.
www.ipha.ie • “EFPIA Leadership Statement on Ethical Practices”: Industry restricts product sampling and sets new standards for sales representatives and congresses, 24th June 2010 • Improving Responses to Future Influenza Pandemics - Lessons from the 2009-10 H1N1 Pandemic, 24th June 2010 • IPHA response to publication of guidance on the safe supply of non-prescription medicinal products containing codeine, 11th June 2010 • Pharmaceutical industry agrees joint position on publication of clinical trial results in scientific literature, 10th June 2010 • Pharmaceutical industry launches "Ten Principles on Counterfeit Medicines" to refocus attention on this issue, 12th May 2010
Novartis Ireland: Well-known doctor and television presenter Dr. Mark Hamilton recently helped launch World Hypertension Day 2010 which has been established to highlight the preventable stroke, heart and kidney diseases caused by high blood pressure and to communicate to the public information on prevention, detection and treatment. Novartis also launched a new text service that reminds people to take their medicine on time, available by visiting www.dontforget.ie and a new website with information about high blood pressure, www.bloodpressure.ie. sanofi-aventis Ireland: Coronation Street’s Kym Marsh visited Dublin recently to launch a new website for people with type 2 diabetes. www.itsmyinsulin.ie aims to educate people on
Merck Sharp & Dohme: Innovation was the theme of the day at the third Crystal Clear MSD Health Literacy Awards. Staff Midwife, Una O'Brien developed a creative 'Txt and Twitter' project. Una noticed that many teenage mothers did not attend antenatal education and were unprepared for the birth of their child. Nearly every teenage mother has a mobile phone so with the help of one of the young mums Una translated her message about antenatal classes into 'teenage texting language' and increased attendance by 90%. The judges felt Una's project was truly inspirational and highlighted how using clear health communication can make a real difference to people's lives.
• European Vaccine Manufacturers support WHO Europe Immunisation Week’s goal of improving vaccination across the region, 28th April 2010 • World TB Day - Industry announce that ongoing R&D to shorten treatment and address resistance, 24th March 2010 • Pharmaceutical industry provides nearly $35 million in aid to Haiti, 15th February 2010 • EVM Contributes to Council of Europe Hearing on “The Handling of The H1N1 Pandemic: More Transparency Needed?”, 26th January 2010 • Industry Statement to WHO Executive Board on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, 20th January 2010
To find these articles please visit the latest news section on
www.ipha.ie, or for a quick find use the search facility.
The development of Ireland as a centre for clinical research would help to embed the pharmaceutical sector in the Irish economy The IPHA recently attended the launch of the Clinical Research Roadmap by the Irish Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ICRIN) having played a key role in its development. The roadmap clearly defines the necessary steps Ireland needs to take to create a sustainable national system to support clinical research. Speaking following the launch of the roadmap, Ms Anne Nolan, IPHA Chief Executive stated: “Ireland has a unique opportunity to position itself as a hub for clinical research. Bringing early stage clinical trials to Ireland would help ensure prompt access for Irish patients to innovative medicines once the medicine has been approved, thanks to the familiarisation of consultants at a very early stage of the testing of the medicine while at the same time helping the process of embedding the sector in the Irish economy at an ever-higher level of sophistication and value.” Clinical trials are an essential part of the development of a new medicine. Clinical research programmes are international in nature and just like any other foreign direct investment Ireland must compete with other countries for its share of international funding. In particular, Irish subsidiaries have to compete with sister subsidiaries in other countries, increasingly with those in Central and Eastern Europe for clinical trials. In order to give Ireland the best possible opportunity of attracting industry clinical research the following recommended actions, taken from the roadmap, need to be undertaken immediately: • Six to eight national research ethics committees should be established to provide a multi-site single opinion review for all categories of clinical research involving the recruitment of participants through the health service. • A Central Office for Research Ethics Committees should be established, with the necessary legal
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•
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underpinning for the oversight and support of ethics committees in Ireland. Each hospital should develop a research strategy in close association with its affiliated university to reflect its commitment to research as a core mission of the hospital and assign responsibility for implementation of the strategy to a senior member of staff. The Health Research Group should agree and encourage the adoption of metrics of research support in hospitals that could be tracked over time and the contribution of hospitals to government policies on innovation measured. The Health Service Executive should recommend a role profile for research nurses, entry level qualifications and experience and opportunities for further training. The Health Service Executive should ensure that health employers meet their responsibilities to fill funded research posts in all disciplines.
“The industry has estimated that the level of clinical trial activity in Ireland could be more than doubled if the correct professional, efficient and timely system could be put in place. If this is not done, not only will Ireland potentially not get any additional trials but also even the existing level of activity could be put in jeopardy.” concluded Ms Nolan.
Click here to visit short.ie/roadmap to download the document.
Pharmaceutical industry programmes to improve global health now total 213 The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations, of which the IPHA is a member, recently published the latest edition of its “Developing World Health Partnerships Directory”. This resource documents the research-based pharmaceutical industry’s very substantial commitment to long-term public-private partnerships which improve health in developing countries, almost all of which are on a philanthropic or not-for-profit basis. When the industry first documented its developing world health partnerships back in 2003, it counted a total of 36 active programmes. In 2010, that total has risen to 213 and covers a broader range of diseases and health needs, including child and maternal health, chronic diseases and strengthening healthcare capacity in developing countries. Improving global
The Directory exists as a searchable interactive database. Click here to access at ifpma.org/healthpartnerships.
Credit: Pfizer
health poses a huge challenge, which will require a concerted effort by both the public and private sectors, in developed and developing countries alike. During the course of the last year, the overall number of active programmes undertaken increased by 11, with 23 new programmes started and 12 completed. The disease area with the biggest growth was HIV/AIDS, with a net increase of six programmes, while programmes for Tropical Diseases increased by three. The country hosting the most active programmes remains Kenya, with a total of 49, up from 43 in 2009. Nine of the ten countries with the most programmes are in sub-Saharan Africa. Outside Africa, the country with the most programmes is India, with 45. In the Asia-Pacific region, China
leads with 23 programmes, while Brazil heads Latin America with 21. In the Mediterranean area, Egypt has 11 programmes, as does Ukraine, which is the country with the most programmes in Europe.
Credit: GSK
Medicines Matter is published by the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) which represents the international research-based pharmaceutical industry in Ireland. Its member companies include both manufacturers of prescription medicines and non-prescription or consumer health care medicines. Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association Franklin House 140 Pembroke Road Dublin 4 Ireland www.ipha.ie Tel: (353 1) 660 3350 www.medicines.ie Fax: (353 1) 668 6672 www.feelbetter.ie E-mail: info@ipha.ie www.self-care.ie
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