MEDISEARCHER NEWS
Ireland · GLP-1 access · Updated 15 October 2026
In brief
- Ireland’s HSE Drugs Group considered Mounjaro (tirzepatide) at its meeting on 13 October but did not make a reimbursement recommendation.
- Mounjaro remains available by prescription in Ireland but is not currently covered by the Medical Card, Long-Term Illness Scheme or Drugs Payment Scheme.
- The HSE says further negotiations and potentially additional Drugs Group meetings may be required before a recommendation is made.
- The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics has recommended that tirzepatide be considered for reimbursement if its cost-effectiveness can be improved relative to existing treatments.
- RTÉ News reported, citing information from the HSE, that broad public provision under the latest pricing proposal could still cost the State an estimated €2–€3 billion annually.
- No final reimbursement decision, new eligibility scheme or effective date has been announced.
Ireland’s review of public funding for Mounjaro is continuing after the HSE Drugs Group considered the medicine on 13 October without making a reimbursement recommendation.
The meeting was an important step in the process, but it did not result in approval for public funding. The HSE has indicated that negotiations with medicine manufacturers can take time and that a medicine may need to be considered at several Drugs Group meetings before a recommendation is made.
Mounjaro, which contains the active ingredient tirzepatide, can already be prescribed in Ireland but generally has to be paid for privately. The HSE states that tirzepatide is not currently covered by the Medical Card, Long-Term Illness Scheme or Drugs Payment Scheme.
The practical position for patients has therefore not changed. Until the reimbursement process is completed and the HSE announces otherwise, patients should not assume that Mounjaro is now available free or at a reduced cost through the public system.
Is Mounjaro currently funded by the HSE in Ireland?
No. Mounjaro is available on prescription in Ireland, but tirzepatide is not currently covered by the Medical Card, Long-Term Illness Scheme or Drugs Payment Scheme.
This means that being medically eligible for a Mounjaro prescription is different from being eligible to have the medicine paid for or subsidised by the State.
The HSE says tirzepatide may be prescribed to adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, or a BMI of at least 27 together with at least one weight-related health problem such as high blood pressure, pre-diabetes or high cholesterol.
Those prescribing criteria do not themselves create an entitlement to reimbursement.
What happened at the HSE Drugs Group meeting?
The HSE Drugs Group considered Mounjaro at its meeting on 13 October 2026 but did not make a recommendation on reimbursement to the HSE Senior Leadership Team.
The HSE subsequently said that negotiations with pharmaceutical manufacturers can take time and that there may be several Drugs Group meetings before a recommendation is made.
This means the reimbursement process remains active, but Mounjaro has not moved into publicly funded access as a result of the October meeting.
The Drugs Group considers evidence including pharmacoeconomic assessments and the outcome of commercial negotiations before making recommendations on medicine reimbursement. A Drugs Group recommendation would itself be another step in the process rather than necessarily the final funding decision.
What is the HSE deciding about Mounjaro?
The process concerns whether tirzepatide should receive public reimbursement in Ireland and, if so, under what conditions.
Applications have been assessed for both weight management and type 2 diabetes. The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE), which evaluates the clinical and economic evidence for medicines being considered for public funding, has completed assessments of tirzepatide.
For weight management, the NCPE recommended that tirzepatide be considered for reimbursement if its cost-effectiveness can be improved relative to existing treatments.
A separate assessment for adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes reached a similar conclusion: reimbursement could be considered if cost-effectiveness improved.
The HSE Drugs Group considers evidence including the NCPE assessments and the outcome of commercial negotiations before making a recommendation. No final reimbursement decision has yet been announced.
Why has the price of Mounjaro become important?
Cost has been one of the central obstacles to public reimbursement.
The NCPE’s assessment did not simply consider whether tirzepatide works. It also examined whether the health benefits provided sufficient value for money compared with existing treatments.
Earlier assessments concluded that reimbursement would require improved cost-effectiveness. Eli Lilly subsequently offered a significant price reduction during negotiations with the HSE, and Professor Michael Barry of the NCPE said in June that the reduction could potentially bring Mounjaro much closer to being considered cost-effective.
However, a lower price per patient does not necessarily make widespread public reimbursement inexpensive. Following the 13 October Drugs Group meeting, RTÉ News reported, citing information from the HSE, that providing Mounjaro broadly through the public system under the latest pricing proposal could still cost the State an estimated €2–€3 billion annually.
That estimate should not be interpreted as the confirmed cost of a future reimbursement programme. Actual expenditure would depend on factors including eligibility criteria, the number of patients treated, negotiated pricing, prescribing restrictions and how any publicly funded programme was implemented.
The HSE has also indicated that the wider question of funding GLP-1 medicines involves significant health-policy and budget considerations requiring further discussion with the Department of Health.
How many people in Ireland could potentially qualify?
The potential eligible population is one reason the reimbursement decision is particularly significant.
Professor Donal O’Shea, consultant endocrinologist and clinical lead of the HSE National Obesity Programme, has said that more than one million people in Ireland could potentially meet eligibility criteria.
That does not mean one million people would immediately receive Mounjaro if reimbursement were approved. Any public programme could include additional clinical criteria, prescribing restrictions, prioritisation or phased access.
The size of the potentially eligible population also helps explain why the HSE is considering the overall budget impact alongside the cost-effectiveness of treatment for individual patients.
Would Mounjaro become free if the HSE approves reimbursement?
Not necessarily.
A positive reimbursement decision would need to specify how Mounjaro is funded, which patients qualify and through which Irish reimbursement scheme access is provided.
Public discussion has included the possibility of eligible patients receiving the medicine free or at a reduced cost, but those details should not be treated as settled until the HSE publishes a final decision and eligibility conditions.
Patients should therefore be cautious about claims that Mounjaro has already become free under the Medical Card or subsidised through the Drugs Payment Scheme. The HSE currently states that it is not covered by those schemes.
Can patients still get Mounjaro privately in Ireland?
Yes. The reimbursement process concerns who pays for treatment rather than whether Mounjaro can be prescribed at all.
Mounjaro is a prescription medicine and can already be prescribed to appropriate patients in Ireland. Patients obtaining it privately generally have to pay for the medicine themselves. For broader information about prescriptions, pharmacies and medicine access, see our Ireland medicine and EU prescription guide.
Prescription eligibility should be determined clinically. Patients should not change medicines, doses or treatment plans solely because of price or the possibility of future HSE reimbursement.
What happens next?
Following the 13 October meeting, the immediate next step is not public reimbursement. The HSE Drugs Group has not yet made a recommendation on Mounjaro to the HSE Senior Leadership Team.
Further commercial negotiations and additional consideration by the Drugs Group may therefore take place. The HSE has indicated that medicines can come before the group several times before a recommendation is reached.
The HSE has also said that broader discussions with the Department of Health are required over the policy and financial implications of providing GLP-1 medicines for obesity through the public health system.
If reimbursement is ultimately approved, the most important details for patients will be the effective date, qualifying conditions, applicable reimbursement scheme and whether access differs between treatment for obesity and treatment for type 2 diabetes.
MediSearcher will update this article when the HSE Drugs Group makes a recommendation, the HSE publishes a final reimbursement decision, or access to Mounjaro in Ireland otherwise materially changes.
What does this mean for patients in Ireland?
For now, the practical position has not changed: Mounjaro can be prescribed in Ireland, but patients should not assume that it is publicly funded.
The 13 October meeting confirms that Mounjaro remains under active consideration, but it also shows that the reimbursement question has not been resolved simply by the manufacturer offering a lower price.
The potential overall cost of providing treatment to a large eligible population remains a major consideration, alongside the clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness assessed through the reimbursement process.
If the HSE ultimately approves reimbursement, it could represent one of the most significant changes to public access to newer weight-management medicines in Ireland.
Until then, patients considering tirzepatide should discuss suitability and treatment options with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional and check current HSE reimbursement information rather than relying on reports of a possible future funding decision.
Reviewed by: Dr Mattias Hagman, PhD
Editorial review: This article was reviewed for source accuracy, reimbursement context and consistency with MediSearcher’s editorial standards. Information about tirzepatide eligibility, current HSE coverage, the reimbursement process and the outcome of the 13 October HSE Drugs Group consideration was checked against Health Service Executive and National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics materials, together with current HSE statements reported by RTÉ News.
Last reviewed: 15 October 2026
Sources and verification
MediSearcher reviewed the following official materials and current reporting when preparing and updating this article:
- Health Service Executive: medicines used to treat obesity, including current tirzepatide access and reimbursement information
- National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics: tirzepatide (Mounjaro) assessment for weight management
- National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics: tirzepatide (Mounjaro) assessment for type 2 diabetes
- RTÉ News: HSE consideration of access to Mounjaro, 11 October 2026
- RTÉ News: HSE Drugs Group consideration and continuing Mounjaro reimbursement process, 14 October 2026
MediSearcher provides general information about medication access, pharmacy services and regulation. This article does not provide personal medical advice. Prescription medicines should be used under the supervision of an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.