Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 29 September 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Medical Cannabis Access Programme Update: Discussion

Mr. Shaun Flanagan:

It is important to flag that if Epidiolex were to be reimbursed we would expect in the order of at least 300 patients across the three indications would be prescribed it. Those patients would probably have been on the MCAP. This information is from the health technology assessments on Epidiolex which I have seen. I am a member of the HSE drugs group and I am required to review all of the information. Roughly from memory, and I do not have it in front of me, but it is of an estimate of 300 patients per annum who might benefit from Epidiolex if it were reimbursed. In the absence of Epidiolex all of those patients would be expected to come through the MCAP. I hear the criticism of the MCAP but against it the world has somewhat changed. We are all agreed, and I am not an expert on safety, quality and efficacy as that is more Dr. Nolan's role, that if there is a licensed medicine the preference would be that it would be the mechanism used, provided the HSE can agree pricing and reimbursement terms with the company. This changes the picture from where we were when the MCAP was contemplated. I should also-----