Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of the national asthma programme is to ensure that asthma sufferers do not have to present at emergency departments when they have an asthma attack. In any one year, 25,000 people will present at hospital with an asthma attack. Any treatment that can prevent this is of immediate benefit to the patient, as well as reducing costs for the State. Novartis which manufactures Xolair has agreed to reimburse hospitals in cases where the drug is found to be ineffectual. Coupled with that would be the cost savings for emergency departments.

I hope the use of this treatment at Cork University Hospital will be looked upon favourably. We all accept Xolair needs clinical supervision when being administered because it is a subcutaneous implant. I hope, however, the Minister of State will convey to the Minister for Health that this treatment should be examined with a certain urgency and that finance would be made available for it. There should be some assessment of the number who will benefit from this treatment, the costs that would incur and the savings that would be made by reduced numbers presenting at emergency departments due to asthma attacks.

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