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

It takes less time to ask a question than it does to answer it, as everyone can appreciate.

On Deputy Boyd Barrett's question, he will appreciate that at this stage I cannot comment on individual cases. We have a system for deciding which medicines are licensed and which are approved for reimbursement in the State. This is not done by private health insurers or the private sector but by public bodies, as it should be. The European Medicines Agency and the Health Products Regulatory Authority decide whether a medicine should be licensed in the State and for what purpose. The HSE, acting on the advice of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, then decides whether a medicine should be reimbursed. Some 30 medicines have been approved this year by the HSE for reimbursement but others have not. If they are not reimbursed, it is often for very good reason. It is not a political decision and I do not believe it should be a political decision.

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