Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
1540. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health his views on whether he thinks the Medical Cannabis Access Programme has been a success and whether he has faith in its continuation on a permanent basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13311/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of this Programme is to facilitate compassionate access to cannabis for medical reasons, where conventional treatment has failed. It follows the clear pathway laid out by the Health Products Regulatory Authority in their expert report “Cannabis for Medical Use – A Scientific Review” which stated that the decision to allow cannabis for medical use was as much a societal and policy decision as a scientific one due to the paucity of robust clinical evidence, the recreational use of the product and the strong public and patient led demand.
The report recommended that cannabis should only be made available for the treatment of patients with specified medical conditions which have failed to respond to all other previous treatments, and where there is at least modest evidence that cannabis may be effective. Such patients should be under the direct supervision of an appropriately trained and experienced medical consultant. The specified medical conditions (medical indications) are:
1. Spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis resistant to all standard therapies and interventions whilst under expert medical supervision;
2. Intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, despite the use of standard anti-emetic regimes whilst under expert medical supervision;
3. Severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy that has failed to respond to standard anticonvulsant medications whilst under expert medical supervision.
It is the decision of the medical consultant, in consultation with their patient, to prescribe a particular treatment, including a cannabis-based treatment, for a patient under their care.
The Department of Health is currently carrying out a clinical review of the programme to ascertain whether evidence exists to expand the range of conditions covered by the programme.
The cannabis-based products used in the programme do not have marketing authorisations and have not been subjected to the same rigorous process as approved medicined with marketing authorisations. The clinical preference is for the use of approved medicines.
It must be acknowledged that since the initial report recommending the Access Programme marketing authorisations have been approved for cannabis-based products such as Epidiolex, dronabinol and nabilone that can be prescribed in the normal manner together with advances in anti-emetics for the treatment of nausea as a result of chemotherapy, treatment options not available at the time of the original recommendations.
To date, 53 patients have availed of treatment under the MCAP.
