Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)

There is a reality for public health patients that they have less access to lifesaving drugs compared to private patients and patients in the North, the UK and other countries. We know that only about one third of medicines approved by the EMA ever get authorisation to go on the market and onto the reimbursement lists here. An EU directive is aimed at broadening access to medicines. In recent days, we have read that the Government has now done a U-turn and is opposing aspects of that important EU directive. I get that there are almost 50,000 well-paid pharmaceutical jobs in this country and that we need to look after those jobs. There is a reality as well, in that we are talking about people's lives here and their inability to access lifesaving drugs because they cannot afford to pay. There is a fundamental inequality in our health system. I want to hear an explanation from the Taoiseach as to why the Government is now opposing that aspect of the EU directive to broaden access to medicines-----

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