Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

We should negotiate with the drugs companies to reduce the price of drugs and make them available to people. If the drug works for just under 50% of the people, as the Minister said, that is a huge percentage. It should be available.

Are we back to the position where the cheque book is ruling the health board? The person who can afford this drug will have the chance to walk and be mobile. People who are stricken with MS cannot get on an airplane and fly to Spain or elsewhere to get their drugs at a cheap price. They are grounded here because they are immobile. If this drug helps them in any way, we should support and help them.

Last week, I tabled an Adjournment matter in the House. The Minister was not available but he provided a reply. The matter did not relate to a drug but to an appliance to administer a drug, the i-port Advance, for children with diabetes. It is a simple cannula that goes into the body. It reduces the number of injections from 120 per month to ten a month. That is a huge reduction in the number of injections for children. The injection takes place but it goes through the cannula and does not pierce the skin. The piercings are reduced, not the injections. The reply I received is the same as what the Minister told us today, that it is being considered under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. I appreciate that, but perhaps as Minister he might have some influence or input with regard to negotiating the price of the drug to reduce it to an affordable price for the State and the people.