Cystic fibrosis sufferers and supporters will converge on the Dáil today to protest at the delay in striking a deal with the manufacturers of a life-changing drug that treats the underlying cause of the disease.

Michael Twomey, a 44-year-old father to a seven-year-old boy, has the gene mutation that Orkambi was designed for, but has not been able to access the drug.

The manufacturer of a drug aimed at cystic fibrosis sufferers has said it has still not received an update from the HSE over whether or not funding for it will be recommended.

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

The National Centre for Pharmaeconomics (NCPE) is seeking a five-fold reduction in the cost of the cystic fibrosis (CF) drug Orkambi.

Patients suffering from skin cancer could be set to miss out on a groundbreaking blockbuster drug.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Ireland says it is disappointed that an expert group failed to recommend a life-changing drug be made available through the HSE because it costs too much.

A potentially live-saving liver cancer drug that costs €560 per tablet will be made available to more than 100 seriously ill patients six months after doctors treating the disease asked the Government to fund it.

The drugs companies behind two new cancer treatments deemed too expensive for use in Ireland have been told to lower their prices if they want their product prescribed.

A man whose survival depends on a double lung transplant has called on the HSE to renegotiate the price of a life-prolonging drug that has been branded too expensive to use.

A patients’ lobby group says negotiations on the price of a life-changing cystic fibrosis drug must not be allowed to drag on.

HSE chiefs were given the green light to buy a costly new skin cancer drug four months ago, but only made the move last night after a major political storm “concentrated minds”.

Aspirin is the most commonly prescribed drug under the general medical card scheme (GMS), with 2.5 million scripts written each year at a cost of €5.1m.

A VACCINATION against pneumococcal disease, which claims 130 lives in Ireland every year, is expected to be included in the country’s childhood immunisation scheme.