The HSE has flatly refused to provide funding for a revolutionary new drug to treat cystic fibrosis, thus effectively denying the possibility of greatly lengthened and much improved lifespan for thousands of sufferers.
Orkambi, an FDA-approved therapy, and deemed to be a “game changer” for cystic fibrosis patients, would cost about €92m per year. Two major clinical trials demonstrated the drug’s remarkable efficacy.
However, the HSE’s boss, Tony O’Brien, claims that despite the medication’s blatantly obvious benefits to improve or save the lives of thousands, the money for it simply isn’t there.