Medicinal Products
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-25
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Colm Burke (FG), Cork North-Central

I thank the Minister of State. My information is that it was in February 2022 that the NCPE concluded that there was insufficient evidence of cost-effectiveness for the drug to be approved for reimbursement by the Health Service Executive. Obviously, there is a new application in. The Department of Health has taken decisions previously where the NCPE turned down a particular drug because of its cost-effectiveness, but it is about far more than just cost-effectiveness. There is also the issue of patient care. Sometimes when we look at cost-effectiveness, we look at the immediate cost of the drug rather than the long-term benefit. If having a drug available means we will reduce the number of times a person has to go to their general practitioner or consultant or to hospital, then that is a cost saving in real terms. All the evidence that has been presented to me clearly indicates that if this drug was made available, it would be beneficial to women who have this medical condition.
The example I gave is a true and accurate one of a 20-year old who has no other drug available except ordinary painkillers, which are not really adequate for the difficulty she has. She has gone through surgery. This is the recommendation of two consultants but she cannot get access to this drug. This is a time when we need to be really pragmatic about taking a decision on something. Sometimes an issue may cost more than what it seems on paper, but in real terms there is a real saving for the State.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-25