HSE to explain why it paid 600% drug price rise

Health Minister Simon Harris has asked the HSE for a report following revelations it bowed to demands by a pharmaceutical company for a 600% price increase for cancer drugs.

Mr Harris said while he did not know the specific circumstances of the case, he was concerned about what was reported.

“I’ve long been of the view that this country has at times found itself being held to ransom by drugs companies and particularly, being a small country and a small market from a pharmaceutical point of view, that we’ve ended up having to pay over the odds,” he said.