Health Insurance Irish Times "VHI has much better cover for new cancer drugs"

From the Irish Times article of 29Th May last.
Quoting Prof Ray McDermott
“ Ireland is second worst in Europe for access to new cancer drugs, Prof McDermott says
‘It takes on average two years from the time a drug is approved by the EMA to when we can prescribe it for our patients. Only Portugal takes longer,’ he said”
 
valery said:
From the Irish Times article of 29Th May last.
Quoting Prof Ray McDermott
“ Ireland is second worst in Europe for access to new cancer drugs, Prof McDermott says
‘It takes on average two years from the time a drug is approved by the EMA to when we can prescribe it for our patients. Only Portugal takes longer,’ he said”
Click to expand...
That is an assertion by Prof McDermott. I am looking for a comparative study.
 
valery said:
From the Irish Times article of 29Th May last.
Quoting Prof Ray McDermott
“ Ireland is second worst in Europe for access to new cancer drugs, Prof McDermott says
‘It takes on average two years from the time a drug is approved by the EMA to when we can prescribe it for our patients. Only Portugal takes longer,’ he said”
Click to expand...

He wouldn't by any chance have a horse in the race, would he?

From my somewhat informed perspective, much of the delay is due to the pharm companies demanding outrageous fees for new drugs, and, not infrequently, using a cynical combination of medical professionals, sympathetic 'human interest' journalists and showboating politicians to put pressure on the State to agree to such prices.

Of course, the fact that so many pharm companies have a manufacturing presence in Ireland adds to the level of political pressure that they can apply. Example: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/hea...r-antiviral-drugs-to-treat-covid-19-1.4774225
(Guess where Pfizer have a large factory!)
 

Irish Times. “ Laya and Irish Life customers to get faster access to cancer drugs following policy U-turn”.​

Great response to Paul Cullens, Irish Times article highlighting the difference between health insurance providers.
 
Surely this wouldn't happen in Ireland?

"Drug companies are systematically funding grassroots patient groups that lobby the NHS medicines watchdog to approve the rollout of their drugs, the Observer can reveal.

An investigation by the Observer has found that of 173 drug appraisals conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) since April 2021, 138 involved patient groups that had a financial link to the maker of the drug being assessed, or have since received funding.....

...Many of the groups that received the payments went on to make impassioned pleas to England’s medicines watchdog calling for treatments to be approved for diseases and illnesses including cancer, heart disease, migraine and diabetes. Others made submissions appealing Nice decisions when medicines were refused for being too expensive.

In one case, a small heart failure charity that gave evidence to a Nice committee arguing for a drug to be approved received £200,000 from the pharmaceutical company, according to the maker’s spending records.

In another case, a cancer patient group supplied evidence relating to drugs made by 10 companies – from nine of which it had received funding. The payments raise urgent questions for the medicines watchdog about its management of potential widespread conflicts of interest and efforts by companies to forge ties with groups involved in the appraisal process......"
www.theguardian.com

Revealed: drug firms funding UK patient groups that lobby for NHS approval of medicines

Observer investigation shows that majority of Nice drug appraisals involve groups financially linked to maker of pharmaceuticals
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
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