Pharmaceutical products market in Ireland: size, suppliers and public contracts
Market size and key facts
In 2025, public buyers in Ireland awarded 233 supply contracts for pharmaceutical products through award notices on TED; the 24 of them that state a value (10.3%) add up to €51.2 million, a floor rather than the full contract value. Ireland imported €22.6 billion of goods in the customs headings matched to pharmaceutical products in 2025 (Eurostat Comext, HS 3004, 3002, 3822 and 3003; all buyers, not only public ones), up 81.1% from 2023.
- Since November 2023, 98 companies have won 321 public supply contracts for pharmaceutical products in Ireland, in 108 award notices from 26 public buyers.
- 60.7% of these awards went to companies registered in Ireland; the most frequent foreign origin is United Kingdom.
- The five companies that win most often hold 27.4% of all awards.
- 8.1% of the awards whose notice states the number of tenders received a single bid.
In proportion
All public purchasing in Ireland — general government spending on goods, services and investment, the measure the OECD and the European Commission use for public procurement — came to €50.3 billion in 2025, 8.3% of GDP (Eurostat). Award notices on TED cover only the contracts above the EU thresholds, so they show who wins, not the whole of that spending.
General government spending on goods, services and investment for health in Ireland came to €16.9 billion in 2024 (Eurostat, COFOG). How much of it reaches suppliers through tenders depends on how the country organises the sector — for example whether statutory health insurance is classified in government.
Source: Eurostat, government finance statistics (gov_10a_main, gov_10a_exp) and GDP (nama_10_gdp), retrieved 9 November 2026.
Updated · counted daily from contract award notices on TED and Eurostat international trade data · figures as JSON · free to quote with attribution (CC BY 4.0)
How to cite: Cresques, "Pharmaceutical products market in Ireland", https://cresques.com/markets/ie/336-pharmaceutical-products, from TED contract award notices (© European Union) and Eurostat Comext, updated 13 November 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
What industry and official reports say
- EFPIA puts the European pharmaceutical market at €302 billion at ex-factory prices in 2024, with €330 billion estimated for 2025. EFPIA, The Pharmaceutical Industry in Figures – Key Data 2026
- Medicines for Europe reports that generic medicines account for 70% of treatment volume in Europe (2023). Medicines for Europe, Press release: Generic medicines: 70% of dispensed medicines and critical to healthcare
- Eurostat puts current healthcare expenditure in the EU at €1,720 billion in 2023, 10.0% of GDP; medical goods took 17.8% of it. Eurostat, Healthcare expenditure statistics - overview (Statistics Explained)
Figures from the publishers named, checked at the source on 9 November 2026. They measure the whole market (all buyers, different price bases and country scopes), so they are not comparable one-to-one with the public contract counts on this page.
- Winning companies
- 98
- since November 2023
- Award notices
- 108
- on TED
- Public buyers
- 26
- hospitals, schools, agencies
- Imports 2025
- €22.6B
- all buyers, Eurostat
The market in numbers
Public supply contracts in Ireland: award notices published on TED from 2023-11 to 2026-11, by publication year.
- Contracts awarded
- 321
- in 108 award notices
- Awarded value
- €225M
- from 25% of awards with a published value
- Winning companies
- 98
- with at least one award
- Public buyers
- 26
- hospitals, cities, agencies
Table view
| 2024 | 33 |
| 2025 | 233 |
| 2026 | 55 |
Table view
| 2024 | €24.4M |
| 2025 | €51.2M |
| 2026 | €149.4M |
Table view
| Cities, regions and central administration | 199 |
| Hospitals and health services | 74 |
| Universities, schools and research | 26 |
| Police, fire services and prisons | 21 |
| Environment and waste | 1 |
- Southern208IE05
- Eastern and Midland111IE06
Table view
| Southern | 208 |
| Eastern and Midland | 111 |
- Large companies
- Medium-sized
- Small
- Micro
- SME (size not stated)
- Size not stated
Table view
| Large companies | 26 · 8.1% |
| Medium-sized | 218 · 67.9% |
| Small | 9 · 2.8% |
| Micro | 7 · 2.2% |
| SME (size not stated) | 7 · 2.2% |
| Size not stated | 54 · 16.8% |
- United Kingdom114
- Belgium3
- Germany3
- Netherlands2
- Switzerland1
- Hungary1
Table view
| United Kingdom | 114 |
| Belgium | 3 |
| Germany | 3 |
| Netherlands | 2 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| Hungary | 1 |
Table view
| 2023 | €13B |
| 2024 | €16B |
| 2025 | €23B |
- Limerick199
- Kildare66
- Dublin43
- Cork7
- Nenagh6
Table view
| Limerick | 199 |
| Kildare | 66 |
| Dublin | 43 |
| Cork | 7 |
| Nenagh | 6 |
Imports: Eurostat Comext, customs headings 3004, 3002, 3822, 3003 (only headings whose trade is mainly this category); all buyers, not only public ones.
Awards to companies registered in Ireland
60.7%
126 awards went to companies registered elsewhere.
Share of the 5 biggest winners
27.4%
Of all awards; a high share means a concentrated market.
Lots with a single bid
8.1%
Among 283 awards whose notice states the number of tenders.
How we count: one award per procedure, lot and winning company, from live contract award notices; a joint procurement counts on every buyer's market. Values are the awarded amounts published in the notice (framework ceilings and estimates are never added), converted to euro at the ECB yearly average. Company size is the SME flag of the notice (eForms BT-165). Read the methodology.
The same category across Europe: all 30 countries compared →
Among the companies that win most often
- Scientific Laboratory Supplies (Ireland) Ltd11 public contracts in total
- Medical Supply Company Ltd10 public contracts in total
- Mason Technology Ltd15 public contracts in total
- Magritek GmbH15 public contracts in total
Where this industry meets in Ireland
- Combined Spring Meeting (Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists)Congress · Athlone, Ireland
- CAI Annual CongressCongress · Dublin, Ireland
- COMPAMEDTrade fair · Düsseldorf, Germany
- MEDICATrade fair · Düsseldorf, Germany
- World Health Expo Dubai (WHX, formerly Arab Health)Trade fair · Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- BULMEDICATrade fair · Sofia, Bulgaria
Watch this market
One e-mail a week with the new public contract awards for pharmaceutical products in Ireland: what was bought, by whom, who won. Free, no account needed.
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Which of these 98 companies could distribute your product?
A Cresques market map of Ireland for this category shows the companies that win these contracts: how often, for how many buyers and for how much, and whether the leading ones are distributors or manufacturers.
Open this market map — freeFree account, no card: one market map, showing the first 5 companies with their contract awards. Paid plans show every company.
After sign-in the new-market form opens with Ireland and Pharmaceutical products filled in.
No account yet? Ask for a free preview.
One page by e-mail within one working day: three distributors that already win public contracts for this kind of product in the country you choose, each one checked (is it a distributor, or a manufacturer's own sales company?), with its contract record, and the price of the full shortlist. If we can find fewer than three, the reply says so.
Read how to enter the Ireland market.
Questions
- Who wins public contracts for pharmaceutical products in Ireland?
- 98 companies won 108 contract award notices for these categories from 26 public buyers in Ireland since November 2023. The companies that win most often are Scientific Laboratory Supplies (Ireland) Ltd, Medical Supply Company Ltd, Mason Technology Ltd, Magritek GmbH.
- How big is the pharmaceutical products market in Ireland?
- In 2025, public buyers in Ireland awarded 233 supply contracts for pharmaceutical products through award notices on TED; the 24 of them that state a value (10.3%) add up to €51.2 million, a floor rather than the full contract value. Ireland imported €22.6 billion of goods in the customs headings matched to pharmaceutical products in 2025 (Eurostat Comext, HS 3004, 3002, 3822 and 3003; all buyers, not only public ones), up 81.1% from 2023.
- Where do suppliers of pharmaceutical products meet buyers and distributors in Ireland?
- At trade fairs and congresses such as Combined Spring Meeting (Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists), CAI Annual Congress, COMPAMED, MEDICA, World Health Expo Dubai (WHX, formerly Arab Health), BULMEDICA — each checked on the organiser's official website.
- How do I find a distributor for pharmaceutical products in Ireland?
- Create a free Cresques account and open the market map for Ireland and this category. It shows the companies that win public contracts there, how often, for how many buyers and for how much: the first 5 on the Free plan, every company on a paid plan. Where the data exists, the map also shows wholesalers from the business register, import figures and the industry's trade fairs.
Sources: contract award notices on TED — Tenders Electronic Daily (ted.europa.eu), © European Union, published since November 2023, processed by Cresques (one award per procedure and lot); imports: Eurostat, international trade in goods (Comext), © European Union — only the customs headings whose trade is mainly this category, chosen by Cresques.