Results 1,581-1,600 of 12,424 for speaker:Louise O'Reilly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: Obviously, any decisions taken by the committee will not be taken in public, as is the custom. Will the witnesses respond to the questions? Banking questions is not ideal so could witnesses go through them? Members reserve the right to come if anything is missed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I apologise for interrupting, but the point was made on the benefit of keeping people out of hospital. When we speak about the nine drugs awaiting approval, has this been factored in by the HSE?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: When we say those nine drugs would cost €120 million over five years-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: Apologies for the interruption.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: To be very clear on this, as a layperson it strikes me that science is science and tests are tests, so I share Deputy Durkan's surprise there are not standards throughout the European Union by which these things can be assessed. When a purely scientific analysis is done on outcomes, a person is a person and it does not matter whether he or she is in Lithuania, Azerbaijan or Dublin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: The Deputy's point is well made. We will move on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I have some short questions for the witnesses. On the potential for developing our own drugs, we have a thriving third level sector and a huge amount of money is being invested into skilling-up our scientists and fitting out our universities. Is there a reason why we are not developing more of our own drugs, and with the involvement of the State in the provision of those services can we not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I am talking about development. Where they are physically made is not that important. Our universities are working in tandem and in partnership with these multinationals and yet we do not seem to get any benefit. We are still building the labs and staffing them, and yet we are not getting any benefit back. From the witness's reaction I can see that that is not happening, but it strikes me...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Evaluating Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank Mr. Hennessy, Mr. Flanagan, Mr. Mitchell, Professor Barry and Dr. Tilson for their time and their answers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: We are joined for this session by representatives of the Alpha One Foundation, an advocacy group for Respreeza, and Muscular Dystrophy Ireland, an advocacy group for Translarna, to discuss the subject of funding for orphan drugs. On behalf of the committee, I welcome Ms Geraldine Kelly and Professor Gerry McElvaney of the Alpha One Foundation and Ms Clair Kelly and Mr. Richard Lodge of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I welcome the representative of Muscular Dystrophy Ireland, Mr. Lodge, and invite him to make his opening remarks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank Mr. Lodge. I call Deputy Durkan, followed by Deputy Brassil.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I have some questions and then I will come to Deputy Murphy O'Mahony and Senator Colm Burke. Ms Kelly spoke about deadlines. Could she provide an insight on behalf of the people she is here to represent of the kind of impacts those deadlines have on families and the individuals themselves? It must be horrendous for them. I have met people in my constituency who were affected and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I do not want to put words into anyone's mouth but it was less than an hour ago so I think I remember what was said. The HSE seemed to be indicating that it does listen to patients and that patients and advocacy groups have a mechanism for input.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I was not trying to compare the two.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: We could round it up to two years.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: I would imagine it is the same for a range of conditions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: Deputy Durkan and others indicated that it does seem we speak much about co-operation at a European level but on this issue there seems to be none. The witnesses were here when we questioned the HSE and I did so myself. We asked about European standards and they just do not seem to exist. It strikes me that it is an area on which we should put a heavy focus.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: It should be the first port of call.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Funding of Orphan Drugs: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Louise O'Reilly: That issue is central to both cases. When we put a straight-up question to the HSE such as does it consider everything, it answers yes. I have met numerous advocacy groups, as we all have, and the point keeps being made that if it did actually look at the real savings involved, the conclusion could not be anything other than that the drug is cost effective. There is obviously some slippage...