Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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226. To ask the Minister for Health the status of negotiations on the drug, Orkambi; the other countries he has been liaising with on this; if they responded to him yet on acquiring this drug; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40400/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have written to the Health Ministers in England, Scotland, Canada and Australia regarding Orkambi, I understand that these countries face challenges, as does Ireland, in achieving a cost-effective price for the product. The initial feedback has been positive and I expect to have further contact with my counterparts in other countries in the coming days.

I also participated in the second Round Table meeting for European Health Ministers and CEO’s/Heads of Europe-based pharmaceutical companies, co-organised by Portugal and the Netherlands, in Lisbon on 7 December 2016. This meeting afforded me with a very good opportunity to engage with Ministers from other member states on the key issues of access to and affordability of new and innovative medicines and to discuss further the potential for collaboration between Ireland and other member states.

I took the opportunity to raise directly the situation of Orkambi, and the manner in which the company was treating patients and their families in Ireland. I also spoke on the margin of the meeting with the Dutch Health Minister regarding Orkambi and the potential for collaboration at official level between Ireland, the Netherlands and others in relation to the reimbursement of medicines.

I was pleased to learn that Vertex has responded to the HSE with a view to re-engage in negotiations with them on Orkambi.