Limerick man named new president of Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association

THE BOARD of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), the representative body for the research-based biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland, is pleased to announce Shane Ryan as its new President.

Shane is the General Manager for Takeda in Ireland and has retained this role for over six years, carrying with him a track record of success through clarity of purpose and vision. Country President for Amgen in Ireland, Caitriona Duggan, is the new Vice-President.

Mr Ryan takes over the role from Biogen’s Michael O’Connell after his two-year term. He is from Fedamore, married and has four young children. Mr Ryan was educated at St Munchin's College in Limerick before studying at Trinity College Dublin.

Transparent partnerships and building trust with stakeholders across Government, the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive will play a key role in Shane’s presidency, which will focus on driving forward decisions that both value innovation and improve health outcomes for all.

Commenting on this, General Manager, Takeda Ireland, Shane Ryan, shared:

“I am honoured to serve IPHA members, representing a sector at the forefront of discovering, developing and bringing life-changing medicines and innovation to patients, clinicians and the communities that support them. It is a pivotal time. The recent elections of the European Parliament and the upcoming Irish general election present exciting opportunities for us to work in collaboration with others to achieve our vision of creating an environment which helps patients and places Ireland as the investment destination for life sciences.”

Chief Executive of IPHA, Oliver O’Connor, welcomed the appointments.

“I am delighted to welcome Shane and Caitriona to their respective new roles. They bring experience and expertise at a critical time for the industry in Ireland and globally. As we continue to engage in the reform of the EU Pharmaceutical Legislation, plan ahead to work with the next Government in Ireland and prepare for a new Framework Agreement, I look forward to supporting their goal in creating an innovative, competitive ecosystem which benefits all patients in Ireland”, said Mr O’Connor.

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IPHA also published its General Election manifesto and central to this is an ask for the next Government to commit to a continuous and faster flow of new life-enhancing medicines, and vaccines, for patients in Ireland. The manifesto outlines innovative proposals on how this can be achieved.

Commenting on the launch of the IPHA General Election Manifesto, Mr O’Connor said:

“Next year, IPHA members expect to make applications for reimbursement for 36 medicines which, according to most recent estimates, would positively benefit as many as 3,700 patients in Ireland, alongside their families and carers. However, we need to ensure that patients in Ireland will have fast and fair access to these new life-enhancing medicines next year, and in subsequent years, through multi-annual funding and reform of the current reimbursement process. Over the next couple of months, in the lead up to the next General Election in Ireland, we look forward to presenting to candidates, and other stakeholders our proposals on how this can be achieved.

“We believe that doctors should have the right medicine available for prescription for their patients at the right time and are therefore calling for a new voice for doctors in prioritising new medicines for patients. We would also like to see a levelling-up of care for patients with rare diseases through faster access to the medicines they need.

“To further these goals, industry is ready to play its part in speeding up the process and reaching a new Framework Agreement with the State in 2025. Since the last Agreement in 2021, IPHA member companies have actively delivered significant savings to the State well above what had been anticipated for the full four-year period of the Agreement. As we start planning for the next Agreement, we remain ready and willing to collaborate to achieve certainty for clinicians and patients to bring newly-authorised medicines to the Irish healthcare system as quickly as possible.

“An innovative life-science sector is of strategic importance to Ireland and Europe. IPHA companies are key contributors to R&D and clinical trials which improve patient outcomes and quality of life here and around the world. However, currently in Ireland we need to do better in terms of the numbers of clinical trials being conducted.

"We want to give patients hope through faster access to research treatments. We welcome the recent establishment of a new National Clinical Trials Oversight Group by the Minister for Health to support innovation and patient outcomes and we look forward to seeing its outputs. In particular, we support the Minister’s goal of doubling the number of clinical trials in Ireland. We believe this can be achieved over the lifetime of the next Government with clear and sustained political support.”

“In order to achieve all this and remain at the forefront of innovation and efficiency, it is crucial that we continue to upskill, both through the development of the next generation of talent and the adoption of new technologies. To place our sector at the cutting edge of data, digital and technology we need to work with all partners to develop the next generation of pharmaceutical leaders. This will be fundamental to creating better experiences for patients, providers and payers while also driving investment and supporting the establishment of a globally competitive ecosystem”.