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Medicine costs: More thought, less passion

Perennial problem with introducing a new drug remains the same – is it cost-effective

Letters to the Editor. Illustration: Paul Scott
The Irish Times - Letters to the Editor.
Tue Jul 21 2026 - 06:00 • 1 MIN READ

Sir, – Anthony Hannon (Letters, July 20th) makes an impassioned plea for the drug Skylaris to be made available to patients with Friedreich’s ataxia, but doesn’t answer the central question: is it cost-effective? –

He reports the drug to be “life extending and enriching” but he doesn’t quote the evidence of the MOXIe Trial.

This indicates an improvement of one or two points on the 93-point rating scale. The cost is hard to define as the drug isn’t available here, but would be in the order of €100,000 to €200,000 a year per patient.

Many other patients with many other diseases might benefit from that money.

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Perhaps we need less passion and more clinical thought before paying huge amounts for possibly little benefit. – Yours, etc,

DR COLUM FARRELLY, FRCGP,

Derry.