Over the past two years, the pharmaceutical industry has quietly waged a massive lobbying campaign to try to block proposed EU regulations for the sector.
Big pharma companies have invested particular time and energy into lobbying the Irish Government, urging the State to push back against reforms to speed up the roll-out of new medicines across the EU, particularly to smaller and poorer countries.
Correspondence now shows pharmaceutical companies are “disappointed and concerned” by the lack of support the Government has shown the sector in its push back against proposed European Union reforms.
Why do pharma giants oppose these reforms? Could the changes could cost manufacturing jobs in Ireland and Europe?
And what is Ireland’s position when it comes to further regulation of the pharmaceutical industry?
Irish Times acting Europe correspondent Jack Power joins In The News to discuss his investigation into pharma firms’ attempts to prevent further regulation of the sector and the implications of these changes for pharmaceutical companies' presence on Irish soil.
Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Declan Conlon.
