'If it were a man's condition,' Tipperary Senator raises issues with access to pregnancy drug

Tipperary Senator Garret Ahearn and Senator Mary Seery Kearney have raised issues around Cariban prescriptions in the Seanad. 

Cariban is a drug used to treat severe morning sickness in those who are pregnant.

The two senators shared their time in the Seanad this morning to raise the issue with a government representative. 

Minister for State  at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Niall Collins represented the Minister for Health.  

Senator Ahearn, criticised the Government for not sending a representative from the Department of Health. 

Both senators called on the Government to make the drug more accessible for those who need it.  

“How many Ministers do we need in the Department of Health for one of them to come here and answer a question on why women cannot receive the same treatment? 

"What they tell me is that if this was a man's condition, one could be damned sure that the issue would be resolved. 

“Why can women not receive the same treatment and respect, at least in this Chamber, for Ministers from the Department of Health to come here and answer genuine questions from people who are actually in Government with them?” said Senator Ahearn.

He said getting treatment is incredibly frustrating and praised those who have taken to social media to talk about their experiences. 

“I have been raising this matter since April 2021. In other words, for almost two years. It seems that either no one is listening or that people are moving to some degree but are doing so while kicking and screaming. 

"We are getting to the point where Hyperemesis Ireland is incredibly frustrated. Individuals such as Sabrina Hill have to go on Instagram and talk bravely about their experiences of going through this debilitating condition.

“It seems as though no one in a position of power cares. We talk about how healthcare, particularly maternity care for women, is free. It is not free for all women. It is not free for women who go through this condition, and that is not fair,” said Senator Ahearn. 

He accused the Government of putting ‘obstacles’ in the way of women trying to access medical care during pregnancy. 

CARIBAN

According to Senator Kearney in order for patients to be reimbursed for Cariban, the drug must be prescribed by a consultant. 

However, patients only see a consultant in their second or third trimester. 

This means patients must pay out of pocket for the much-needed medication up to their consultant visit. 

Additionally, there is no retrospective reimbursement for those who later qualify. 

And because it is reimbursed under the drug payment scheme, the person must pay the first €80. 

“It is now on the funding list, but it may as well not be. The provision is completely impotent, said Senator Kearney. 

According to Senator Kearney, the Government’s position has been to ask drug companies to apply for a licence for the drug.

This would mean the drug could be put on the HSE's reimbursement list.

Currently, consultants underwrite the drug and which means the drug is only on the exempt medicinal product list.

Senator Kearney asked the Government to review that list. 

“Women can be sick all the time for the duration of the nine months of their pregnancies. The State purports to provide them with financial support but, in actual fact, it does not do so; it provides them with the very minimum. In that context, they might get a box and a half of Cariban capsules every four weeks,” said Senator Kearney. 

STICKING-POINT

Deputy Collins reiterated the Government's position saying that only medicines that are licensed and have marketing authorisation from the European Medicines Agency or Health Products Regulatory Authority can be added to the HSE's reimbursement list.

However, he said Cariban is available under the community drug schemes on an individual patient basis. 

The first prescription must be made by the consultant, but subsequent prescriptions can be issued by a GP. 

This, he said, is to ensure safe use. 

“The HSE therefore encourages clinicians, along with the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the National Clinical Programme for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and other healthcare professionals to encourage the market authorisation holders of the available licensed medicinal products to progress with the formal pricing and reimbursement process in Ireland,” said Mr Collins. 

RESPONSE

Senator Ahearn called the response ‘rubbish’ and said it is the response he would have been given a year ago. 

Senator Kearney said the system is not working. 

“With respect, I am getting texts from a woman who has been waiting for over a month for the consultant to sign that form so that she can then get to a place where she will get some small intervention. The system just is not working, and it is not all right. If one is in the public system, one really is at the mercy of the State,” said Senator Kearney.