Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 October 2021
408. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the Covid-19 treatments which are currently in use in Ireland; if each has full approval or emergency approval; the date each treatment came into use in Ireland; and the number of patients treated with each in tabular form. [48847/21]
View answerTo date, one Covid-19 treatment (remdesivir) has been authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for use in the European Union; the marketing authorisation was issued by the EMA on 3 July 2020. Remdesivir has a conditional marketing authorisation granted by the EMA in the interest of public health, because the medicine addresses an unmet medical need and the benefit of immediate availability outweighs the risk from less comprehensive data than normally required. This medicine is also subject to additional safety monitoring. No other medicines for the treatment of Covid-19 are currently authorised in Ireland or the EU.
The Department of Health does not collate data on numbers of patients treated with a specific medicine. I have asked that the Health Service Executive responds to the Deputy directly on this aspect of the question.
