Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The well-being of patients and citizens is something the Deputy and I share a desire to work together on. It is something all of us in this House want to see. What we cannot see is a drug company behave in an unethical fashion and blackmail the taxpayer and effectively, therefore, blackmail patients. As Minister for Health, each week I see more drugs become available.

This is good. These are drugs that can save patients' lives and make their ' lives better. However, we cannot have a situation where a drug company is breaking all the normal rules. The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, the representative body for drug companies, does not behave or believe in behaving in this way. There is not meant to be, internationally or nationally, a link between clinical trials, compassionate access programmes which a company puts in place and the HSE reimbursement process. I have directed the HSE to make contact with the hospital and the clinician responsible to ensure that individual care plans are put in place for each of the patients. My concern is for 17 patients in this jurisdiction, and 21 patients on the island of Ireland.

I suggest, as the Deputy has done, that the company in this case should come forward with more information. It should reflect on the price it is seeking in this jurisdiction versus others. While that is happening, patients should not be used as pawns. The Deputy makes the point that while it might not be particularly relevant to the patients, it is important for the record of this House to state that, according to its annual report, CSL is a $45 billion company, with sales in 2016 of $6 billion and net profits in that year after tax of $1.2 billion. Its CEO was paid salary and bonus of $8.1 million and the nine other directors of the management team were paid amounts ranging from $1.5 million to $3.2 million each in 2016. That is all in its annual report. Surely to God it can continue a clinical trial for 17 of our patients. I ask for cross-party support in sending out that very clear message from this House while at the same time expecting the HSE to engage in respect of any further information presented to it. That is very important and I will certainly keep in touch with the Deputy on the matter.

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