Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
1437. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health the work being carried to secure funding at source for medication produced by a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33286/21]
View answer1438. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health when medication produced by a company (details supplied) will be funded at source; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33287/21]
View answer1458. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health if he has given consideration to introducing a scheme to cover the upfront costs of a medication manufactured by a company (details supplied) for patients in order to alleviate the financial pressures on families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33458/21]
View answer1895. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the status of upfront funding of drugs manufactured by a company (details supplied). [35774/21]
View answer1896. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the work he has undertaken on securing upfront funding of drugs manufactured by a company (details supplied). [35775/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1437, 1438, 1458, 1895 and 1896 together.
The Dutch authorities will not allow the commercial export of oil-based cannabis products to pharmacies or wholesalers. Representations were made to the Dutch authorities about having the products exported to Ireland to facilitate their inclusion in the Access Programme if the producers wished to do so. The Dutch authorities replied that magistral preparations may only be provided directly to patients or their representative on the basis of a prescription, presented for dispensing.
Since April 2020 owing to the travel restrictions and quarantine requirements the Department of Health has been collecting patients prescribed products and delivering them to Irish patient’s homes, collections occur approximately every four weeks. In December 2020 I announced this scheme would be made permanent.
Owing to the restrictions the manufacturers of the Dutch products are not in a position to apply to the Health Products Regulatory Authority to have the products included in the Access Programme and treated in the same manner as the products included in the Access Programme.
It was a requirement for patients or their families to pay the dispensing pharmacy in the Netherlands and a reimbursement application can subsequently be made to the Primary Care Reimbursement Service in the HSE.
I was aware that this placed financial burden on those patients and families. I asked officials in my Department to find a solution that ensured patients were not left out of pocket for any period of time. Officials in my Department and in the HSE worked tirelessly to come up with a solution to this issue.
On 19 July I announced that the refund system for eligible patients who obtain their prescribed cannabis-based products from the Netherlands will be replaced by a direct payment system.
The HSE will be contacting eligible patients and their families directly.
Eligible patients are those suffering from one of these three stated conditions:
- Spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis resistant to all standard therapies and interventions whilst under expert medical supervision
- Intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, despite the use of standard anti-emetic regimes whilst under expert medical supervision
- Severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy that has failed to respond to standard anticonvulsant medications whilst under expert medical supervision.
