Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for attending the meeting and giving us the detailed presentation. This is a complex area. My opening question relates to the population of Ireland and the overall cost of medications compared to other jurisdictions. Is there any comparison for what pharmaceuticals are costing us per head of population? The witness referred to a budget of approximately €2 billion per annum. How are we doing per head of population compared to other juridictions?

Second, I understand that there are approximately 158 different orphan drugs and that in Germany 133 of them are in use, whereas in Ireland only approximately 50 of them are in use or have been sanctioned for reimbursement. Why is there such a gap between what has been approved for use in Germany and what has been approved for use here?

The third issue relates to legislation we passed in 2013 on the use of generic drugs, which Mr. Hennessy mentioned. What savings have been made as a result of that legislation? What progress have we made in that regard? If we can save in one area obviously there is more funding available to deal with an issue such as orphan drugs.

My final question is on working with other countries. I made a comparison with Germany. The advantage Germany has is its population. An orphan drug might only be of benefit to 20 people in Ireland but it might be of benefit to 2,000 people in Germany, therefore Germany is in a far better negotiating position. Has there been thought about tying in with other jurisdictions with regard to carrying out a negotiation and getting a far fairer deal in that process?

Again, I thank the witnesses for their presentation and the work they are doing.