PATIENT GROUPS say they are shocked and gravely concerned by the unavailability of important drugs for conditions such as diabetic-related eye disease and stroke, because of cost.
The Irish Times reported yesterday that the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, the body which assesses the cost-effectiveness of drugs coming to market, recently halved the threshold used to measure their value for money.
Drugs found not to be cost-effective included Rivaroxaban, which is used to treat strokes and embolisms, and a similar drug, Dabigatran. Both are alternatives to Warfarin, and are more suitable for some patients. Dabigatran had been available until last autumn, but is now unapproved for all patients except those already on it.
Ranibizumab, used to treat patients with age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease, was available until the end of last year, but most hospitals in the country no longer stock it because of its cost.
Brigid Doherty, of Patient Focus, said she was shocked that drugs were not available for patients who had been assessed as needing them.
She was also surprised that the cost-effectiveness threshold had been halved.
“From a patient point of view, I think it is hugely important each person is assessed on an individual basis,” she said.
“I would not be happy if I knew there was a better drug out there that could help me and I wasn’t getting it.”
She said that in the case of Dabigatran, it was not right that if existing patients were still given it, new patients should be denied it.
“Where is the equality in that?” she asked.
Anna Clarke, health promotion manager with the Diabetes Federation of Ireland, said it was of “grave concern” that Ranibizumab, a drug that could save people’s eyesight, was being denied to them.
“It is unfortunate that any medical treatment for improving quality of life is being targeted in this way,” she said.
She said the longer picture was that saving eyesight saves money as it is closely related to productivity.
“We would ask that all drugs should be available that benefit people,” she said.
Deputy Tom Barry (FG) said Minister for Health James Reilly must look at the introduction of performance-based, risk-sharing schemes to allow for the “fastest possible access for patients to expensive new medical drugs”.
The schemes, which involve the HSE receiving a refund for drugs that have not been effective, would safeguard the financial interests of the State, Mr Barry said.
