565. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Health if her Department has considered the inclusion of skyclarys (omaveloxolone) which is a treatment for Friedreich's ataxia in a reimbursement scheme given the cost of the drug and the fact that other European countries provide this scheme to patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29555/26]
Topics / Medicinal Products
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsMedicinal Products
1,233 questions from 132 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
1,233
questions
1,229 written, 4 oral
132
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
4
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 17 |
| February 2025 | 66 |
| March 2025 | 28 |
| April 2025 | 35 |
| May 2025 | 43 |
| June 2025 | 58 |
| July 2025 | 56 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 36 |
| October 2025 | 38 |
| November 2025 | 58 |
| December 2025 | 27 |
| January 2026 | 18 |
| February 2026 | 70 |
| March 2026 | 142 |
| April 2026 | 87 |
| May 2026 | 156 |
| June 2026 | 127 |
| July 2026 | 82 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 62 |
| October 2026 | 27 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
-
196
-
75
-
43
-
42
-
39
-
26
-
26
-
26
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
221. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if she will review matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); if she will provide an update on the HSE's decision regarding the reimbursement of skyclarys for the treatment of Friedreich's ataxia; if she will note that 619 days have elapsed since the application for reimbursement was submitted by the pharmaceutical company; the timeline for a decision; a…
239. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether an application has been received for the reimbursement of the drug skyclarys for the treatment of Friedreich’s ataxia; if so, the current status of that application; the date on which it was submitted to the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics; and the expected timeline for a final reimbursement decision. [29078/26]
240. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average and median time taken for reimbursement decisions for orphan or rare disease medicines over the past five years; the specific timelines applicable in the case of treatments for Friedreich’s ataxia; and whether any delays have arisen in the assessment process for this category of medicines. [29079/26]
244. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether skyclarys has been approved or reimbursed in other EU Member States or comparable jurisdictions; and whether such decisions are considered in Ireland’s reimbursement process. [29083/26]
129. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to urgently regulate the administration of dermal fillers as committed to in the programme for Government; when such regulation or legislation will be introduced; if she and her Department will engage with stakeholders regarding the best way to protect the public; if her Department received research from the Health Research Bo…
149. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Health for an update on the measures being taken to provide treatments such as skyclarys (omaveloxolone) to patients with Friedrich's ataxia in Carlow and Kilkenny, and across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28381/26]
183. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken by the Health Products Regulatory Authority to control the illegal sales of prescription medications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28385/26]
184. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if she will review the approval process for reimbursement of orphan medicines; her plans for providing access to life changing, high cost medical products for people with rare diseases who currently cannot access medicines which have regulatory approval but do not have a reimbursement arrangement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28497/26]
190. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Health if her Department has assessed the potential national cost savings associated with weight based dosing of pembrolizumab (keytruda), in light of the Cork University Hospital study indicating a saving of €635,417.50 for 28 patients over two years. [28352/26]
207. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Health for an update on the price negotiations regarding Skyclarys; the steps being taken to support those with Friedrich’s ataxia in the time critical interim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28226/26]
211. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms that are in place to ensure that high cost oncology medicines are prescribed in the most cost effective manner without compromising patient outcomes. [28353/26]
732. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the reason long-term cancer medications, including hormone therapies used in cancer treatment and recurrence prevention, are not currently covered under the long-term illness scheme; whether consideration is being given to extending eligibility under the scheme to include such medications for cancer patients; whether consideration has been given to the automatic…
745. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the factors underlying the increase in expenditure by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service on salbutamol nebules dispensed under the general medical services scheme between 2024 and 2025; and if she will provide a breakdown of the extent to which this increase is attributable to volume of items dispensed, reimbursement price per item, and any changes to dispensi…
746. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total number of salbutamol nebule items dispensed under the general medical services scheme in each month from January 2024 to date in 2026; and if she will provide the corresponding average reimbursement cost per item for each month. [28033/26]
747. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reimbursement price per unit applicable to salbutamol nebules under the Primary Care Reimbursement Service in each month from January 2024 to date in 2026; whether any changes to pricing arrangements, reference pricing, or reimbursement rules occurred during this period; and if she will detail same. [28034/26]
748. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the clinical guidelines, prescribing controls, and audit mechanisms in place governing the prescribing of salbutamol nebules under the general medical services scheme; and whether any review has been conducted in light of increased expenditure in 2025. [28035/26]
749. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason the Primary Care Reimbursement Service does not capture or retain data on the clinical indication associated with medicines reimbursed under the general medical services scheme, including salbutamol nebules; and whether there are plans to introduce such data capture to support expenditure oversight and value-for-money assessment. [28036/26]
750. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether analysis has been undertaken by her Department or the Health Service Executive into the change in seasonal expenditure patterns for salbutamol nebules between 2024 and 2025; and if she will provide the findings of any such analysis. [28037/26]
751. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal audit, external audit, or value-for-money review has been conducted in respect of expenditure by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service on salbutamol nebules under the general medical services scheme since January 2024; if so, to provide the dates and findings of such reviews; and if not, the reason none has been undertaken. [28038/26]
752. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any expenditure thresholds, alerts, or variance triggers exist within the Primary Care Reimbursement Service to identify significant increases in spend on specific medicines, including salbutamol nebules; and if she will outline the governance arrangements in place when such increases occur. [28039/26]
754. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether benchmarking has been carried out comparing expenditure and utilisation of salbutamol nebules in Ireland with other EU member states; and if so, to provide the findings of such benchmarking. [28041/26]
755. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Primary Care Reimbursement Service or the Health Service Executive has identified any risks relating to over-prescribing, inappropriate prescribing, or dependency in respect of salbutamol nebules; and if she will outline any mitigation measures in place. [28042/26]
756. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any changes to prescribing guidance, reimbursement criteria, or clinical pathways for respiratory care were introduced between January 2024 and February 2026 which may have influenced the level of prescribing of salbutamol nebules; and if she will detail same. [28043/26]
777. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if she will consider making versatis patches available to a wider cohort of patients as some patients, including a person (details supplied) are unable to sleep for prolonged periods, and are forced to sleep in a sitting position, due to nerve pain; if she will recognise that for some patients this is the only relief available for them and they need to be reimburs…