Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will not get into a long discussion on the stranglehold that pharma companies have when it comes to providing treatment. As the Minister of State indicated, a huge amount of money was given to Vertex. I am disappointed that we have no update on the HTA. I ask the Minister of State to go back to the Minister and ask him to, as soon as possible, give me a date by which he thinks it will be completed. Cystic Fibrosis Ireland wanted this done by the end of January.

We have a new group in Leinster House of Senators and Deputies who are interested in rare diseases. It can be incredibly difficult to advocate for yourself when you have a rare illness. It is really important that we have this group in order that we can advocated more effectively on people's behalf.