Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I read an article last month which reported that the European Commission is considering giving pharmaceutical companies financial incentives and enhancing their market exclusivity in the way they produce drugs, particularly in the niche area of orphan drugs and rare diseases. I found the article welcome but in another way it was amusing in the context of the access patients here have to drugs for rare diseases. Some 80% of all diseases identified these days are actually genetic mutations. I note the importance of clinical trials and research in gaining better treatment for patients in that sphere, and sometimes even cures. If we compare ourselves to any EU counterpart by any metric, particularly in terms of access to orphan drugs, we fail abysmally. Those league tables are well documented and are published for all to see. Given what the Commission intends to do in terms of offering incentives to pharmaceutical companies to enhance research, clinical trials and so on, what will we do here to do the same because we are failing?

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