David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

When a treatment intended for a small group of patients suddenly becomes enormously widely applied, the question to ask is why all these people are using this drug. One should not second-guess the people with chronic and excruciating pain. They are the ones who know. If it miraculously works for people with chronic pain, then that is wonderful and should be welcomed. Years ago, there was a medicine used for men's hair growth which was found to be an effective cardiac treatment. People did not say it was only for old bald fellows. They said thank God that there was a medicine which addressed a situation.

There was a reference to the placebo effect and how some people taking lidocaine may think they immediately feel better. There may be a small element of that but it is pretty tiny. Will the Minister of State look at the situation again and not try to second-guess the people suffering from chronic pain? Instead, he should listen to them. I have a sheaf of letters from people which would break one's heart. These are from people unable to work or engage with their families due to chronic pain. It is a truly dreadful situation. If a plaster can alleviate that, then that is wonderful. The Department of Health needs to get the manufacturers of lidocaine to reduce the cost. If there is an exponential growth in the number of people taking it, then that is a profit to the company. The company should be asked to give some of its profits back to the people who are in pain.