Press Release: Friday 16 May 2025
Minister for Health welcomes agreed pathway on Budget 2025 Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Initiative
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, is delighted to announce that she has reached an agreement with Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) on a way forward for the Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) initiative to proceed with the support of the IPU and their members. The HRT arrangement will see the women of Ireland receive HRT medicines/products free of charge at the point of dispensing from 1 June 2025.
This agreed HRT arrangement includes the provision of HRT products, prescribed for the treatment of symptoms associated with all stages of menopause, without any charge, to women who are resident in the State. This is in circumstances where HRT has been deemed clinically appropriate for a woman and is prescribed by her healthcare provider.
The arrangement will include a pharmacy dispensing fee of €5 per HRT item, and a €2,000 once-off grant to each participating community pharmacy to support transition arrangements including ICT system upgrades.
Minister Mac-Neill said:
“I am delighted that the women of Ireland will be able to receive their HRT medication completely free of charge in participating pharmacies from 1st June.
“With the full support of the IPU for the free HRT scheme, I anticipate that every pharmacy will now sign up, which I warmly welcome.
“Our pharmacists and community pharmacies are pillars of the community. They are the most accessible healthcare profession and are hugely trusted by the public.
“I hugely welcome the contribution pharmacists make to women’s health and to our health services. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the sector in the coming weeks and months.”