Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and his staff for giving me the opportunity to raise this important issue which is a matter of life and death for a constituent of mine and many others throughout the country. It relates to the provision of the life-extending drug, nivolumab or nivo for short, by the HSE and the Department of Health.

Nivo is an immunology drug that can be used by oncologists to treat a range of cancers, such as melanoma, non-small cell lung cancers, renal cell carcinoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma and a host of other illnesses. It is a drug that is readily available to patients in the United Kingdom via the National Health Service. However, it is only available in this country to private patients who can afford the extreme bill of between €100,000 and €140,000 per year. I ask for an urgent update on the status of the drug today.

I thank the Minister for taking my recent calls. From them he knows that a number of people throughout the country are currently sitting in hospitals and will die if they cannot access this drug soon. In particular I will mention one patient from County Sligo who is suffering an advanced form of kidney cancer. Mr. Peter Milne, a retired teacher, is a good person and has given his time and energy freely to so many good and worthy causes in Sligo. He ran a youth theatre for young people in Sligo for many years. Before his admission to hospital, he continued to teach English to asylum seekers, and he also helped to guide young people through their university applications process in his free time. When Peter was told two and a half years ago his cancer was back and inoperable, he set about climbing the four highest peaks in the British Isles to raise thousands of euro for the cancer support centre in Sligo. It is the type of person he is. He is a good neighbour and friend to many and, most importantly, a loving husband and father. As I speak tonight, Peter and his family desperately await access from the HSE to the only drug that can prolong his life. I am not here tonight asking for the impossible or for the impossible to be done for Peter. I am simply asking that he and other patients like him are given accurate and up-to-date information by the HSE after recent announcements as to when they can hope to access this drug. I am assured by the HSE that this is very close to being made available.

The Minister might recall that during May 2017, there was a positive update from the HSE on the provision of the drug for a number of different illnesses, bringing delight and happiness to many families nationwide. The head of customer services at the HSE indicated in a letter dated 18 July 2017 that the nivo drug had been approved by the HSE as being effective for advanced renal cell carcinoma. He stated that the HSE notified the Department of Health in July that it had completed its assessment of nivo for use in Hodgkin's lymphoma and advanced renal cell carcinoma. I have since learned the Department of Health has sanctioned the funding for this drug and a decision on its reimbursement will occur shortly. The Minister is aware the patient and family I mentioned need to know when the drug, announced as being effective by the HSE in May 2017 and which I am advised will be funded by the State, will be made available to Peter.

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