'Saving money is important, but so is saving lives,' warns Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association president

Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) president Gerald Farrell, in his opening address to the association's 16th IPHA Annual Meeting in Dublin yesterday, stated that there is a need to change the debate on health care expenditure if real progress is to be made in health care delivery in the decade ahead.

Speaking to representatives of the key health stakeholders, including the Department of Health and Children, the Health Service Executive, the various professional bodies and the pharmaceutical industry, Dr Farrell stated: 'It is crucial that we focus on meeting patients' needs today, as well as promoting the innovation and research to provide even better treatments and cures in the future. Yes, saving money is important, but so is saving lives.'

He continued: "Chronic disease is a leading cause of death and a key healthcare cost driver in our country. If we are going to bend the curve on rising healthcare expenditure, then we have to seriously address the chronic disease epidemic sweeping our country. Fortunately, we've made significant strides in recent years. Medical advances over the past several decades have revolutionized how we battle disease. Thanks in part to new medicines, death rates for cancer and heart disease have been sharply reduced in Ireland.'