Low Protein Manufactured Food List 2024

Normally a meeting is held twice a year to look at nutritional products to be added to this list. In advance of this meeting, companies need to go through a detailed application process with supporting documentation depending on the product being submitted.

Applications for new products need to include studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of the product. This is important as it demonstrates that the product is tolerated, has no side effects, a number of participants took the product and it was taken for a minimum of 4 weeks.

An expert panel of pharmacists, dietitians and member of the PCRS group will then meet to go through the applications.

The companies whose applications are approved are then sent a formal letter from HSE offering them a price for their product. If the company accepts the price offered by the HSE, then a contract is issued and the product is given a GMS code. This means pharmacies can order the product. In total this process can take up to 4-6 months. Of note, if the company does not accept the reimbursement price the product will not be listed as available on the list. The companies are also informed when an application is not successful, and may be requested to supply additional information for review at the next meeting of expert panel.

The panel met in January and we are currently awaiting an update on whether any new products have been added.