Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. I will do my best to keep up to that standard.

My first dealing with this particular subject was about 25 years ago, and it has not changed since. Then there were two aspects to it. One was the degree to which Ireland paid, above and beyond every other European country, for our drugs in general. We have added to that the orphan drugs and the high-tech drugs and I cannot understand it. We are playing around with the edges and we are not going anywhere fast. I do not accept the notion that we should have a quantum of 14 or 15 countries within which we should operate. We are within the European Union and the Single Market and that is the place we have to go. That is the place we have to be. That is the market that can negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies. Nobody else can do it to the same effect that the EU can.

I shall now turn to the issue of people who are dependent on high-tech drugs. What is actually happening is that the pharmaceutical companies create the drugs, create and feed the markets and then blackmail the governments in order to get what they want in return. Sadly, the patients are the jam in the sandwich. That situation cannot continue because it is unacceptable. I cannot understand why we are assessing these drugs ourselves. Why are these drugs not being assessed at EU level? Why not make one game of it all over and finish with it? The drugs are either acceptable and safe or they are not safe, in which case the European Union, with a market of 500 million people, is in a very good position to negotiate with anybody. There is no possibility that a countries the size of Ireland, Cyprus or the smaller countries of the EU are going to get any kind of fair play in dealing with that market situation. The only way it can be done is by simply invoking the Single Market and the power of the 500 million people. Is Ireland duplicating assessments that are taking place across the EU? I presume we are, we must be. Why is Ireland doing something ridiculous like that? Why does Ireland not engage with a central agency? There are many of them right across the EU.

Reference was made to Germany, which has a population of over 80 million. That is what the Germans are at. It is a bulk market that involves bulk buying. Why have we not invited ourselves into that circle? I know the Minister is very anxious to do that because I spoke with him about it and he is pursuing the matter. However, there are so many things to be pursued simultaneously and time is not on our side. Time is not on the side of the patients and those who rely on rare drugs to make life bearable. That is the issue. On leaving here today, will the witnesses engage with the pharmaceutical companies, through the medium of the EU, and cut out the nonsense about which we have been talking, namely, going round in circles and having this deal for one year and another deal for the next or putting in place an arrangement in respect of a particular drug for six months or a year. This is all nonsense and it is making us a laughing stock. When we are seen to be operating like that, we are noted for our weakness. When we are weak, we will not create waves anywhere. It is a simple and straightforward question. How soon can the witnesses do that to which I refer or are they in a position to do it? Can the HSE do it? Can the process be started now? In the context of all of this, is it possible to quantify the benefit of the entire drug market to our economy? Would it also be possible to quantify the benefit to be obtained for that group of patients who must rely on rare drugs in order to have a reasonable quality of life?