Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I welcome the fact that the cancer drug in question has been approved. Given the debate on the issue, will the Minister of State bring forward, in conjunction with her colleagues, the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, a policy to ensure cancer patients and others who require advanced drugs and treatments will receive what they need as soon as possible? Will the Minister of State take on board the current inequity of access? There is a disparity in the approach of the various HSE regions. Tysabri is available in some HSE regions but not in all and that issue needs to be addressed.

Referencing the Minister's reply to Deputy Joan Collins, will the Minister of State confirm that the triple treatment with protease inhibitors for hepatitis C will be available to all affected women as prescribed? Does the Minister of State accept that under the terms of the Health (Amendment) Act 1996, women have a statutory entitlement to all new prescription drugs, as prescribed? Will she ensure all the women affected who require the medication in question will be able to gain access to it without delay?

On last night's "Prime Time" programme a representative of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics stated that in cases in which it had not approved particular drugs because of their cost, it had been able to negotiate a lower price with the pharmaceutical companies involved. Does this not expose excessive profiteering by the pharmaceutical companies? What does the Minister of State and her colleagues intend to do about it? This is an issue on which each of the Ministers has reflected when in opposition.

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