Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. Like him, I met some of the families waiting on approval of this medicine. As people in this House know, it is not a political decision as to whether a particular medicine should be approved for reimbursement. Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, this House decided that decision should be made by the Health Service Executive, HSE, and that is the case. So far, 23 new medicines have been approved by the HSE for reimbursement this year and I understand negotiations are still under way on Spinraza.

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