Fitzgerald Power is delighted to launch the first edition of Pharmacy Pulse in partnership with the Irish Pharmacy Union, marking the beginning of what we see as a valuable and ongoing collaboration, bringing together shared insight and industry analysis to support Ireland’s pharmacy sector.
Summary Q1 2026:
Irish Economy
The Central Bank released its forecast for domestic economic growth over the next three years, with modified domestic demand (MDD) – a measure of economic performance that accounts for the distorting effects of multinational firms – estimated at 4.9% in 2025, and expected to grow by 2.4%, 2.8%, and 3.4% in 2026, 2027, and 2028 respectively.
Medicine Supply and Pricing Agreement
The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) and Medicines for Ireland (MFI) have in principle reached a new Framework Agreement on the Supply and Pricing of Medicine with the
Government, replacing the existing framework agreement which has been in place since 2021. The new agreement will run until 31st December 2029.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Fitzgerald Power released a pharmacy sector Mergers & Acquisitions Report in Q1 2026, which estimated 98 pharmacy sector transactions over the 36-month period from 2023 to 2025. Data from this report is included in a later section of this report and shows a healthy mergers and acquisitions market in the sector.
Global Economy
A global energy crisis is developing following the closing of the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the war between the United States and Israel, and Iran. The conflict could impact up to 15%-20% of the global supply of oil, and potentially lead to a global oil supply shock, economic recession and food crisis.
