Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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On the orphan drug issue, the frustration I am talking about is that on average - therefore sometimes it takes longer than this - it takes 23 months for a decision to be made. This is a process the pharmaceutical companies finds frustrating since an assessment had already been done in other countries yet we are then going through the process again. It takes 23 months before any answer is received and that is the source of their frustration at present. It is not the process afterwards. I accept what the witnesses are saying about the process afterwards and the high costs. The Department is right in negotiating down costs. The process there to negotiate down costs is correct but it is in the process before we get to that stage that the companies find frustration.