Hyperemesis medication access
Deputy Cairns raised difficulties pregnant women face in accessing Cariban for hyperemesis and described the medication’s high cost. The Tánaiste said the Health Minister had addressed it and promised a fuller reply on regulatory issues.
Today, my Social Democrats colleague, Deputy Whitmore, held a briefing on the continuing barrier people who are pregnant are facing in accessing medication for hyperemesis. As the Tánaiste will be aware, this is a condition involving vomiting and nausea and it is very debilitating. Many end up in hospital as a result of dehydration or weight loss. Hyperemesis Ireland has campaigned tirelessly for free access to Cariban, an incredibly expensive medication that can cost up to €3,000 over the course of a pregnancy. Unfortunately, the Government response was to make it available under the drugs payment scheme but only with a prescription from a consultant. That is wholly inadequate and presents an unnecessary barrier for exhausted and extremely sick individuals, who may have to wait weeks for an appointment while suffering. Will the Tánaiste remove this obstacle and allow GP prescriptions to be used so that everyone who needs it can access medication for hyperemesis under the drugs payment scheme without that unnecessary wait and cost?
Comment on this
I believe the Minister for Health spoke on this issue this morning. We would love to do everything we can to help here. I will come back to the Deputy with a more comprehensive reply in respect of the regulatory side and definitions across the medicines spectrum. That is and has been a challenge as a result of the more medicalised view of the world and so forth. I will come back to the Deputy with a more comprehensive reply.