Janice Walsh

So this was up against our standard second-line treatments.

And there are trials at the moment now moving that Mervituximab into first-line that are ongoing at the moment.

And some of those will potentially open in Ireland, we hope.

I suppose it is worthwhile saying that AbbVie, who is the company who owns this drug, they opened a compassionate access programme for our patients.

And we are very grateful for all of those because as we wait for the drug approval process, we obviously do not have it in Ireland at the moment.

It's going through that reimbursement process.

But for patients to be able to access this drug for them is so reassuring.

Their quality of life is better.

It gives oncologists the ability to get experience with these drugs because maybe we didn't participate in the clinical trials and would originally have found this data.

And of course, it saves the exchequer, our taxpayer, you know, thousands and thousands and thousands of euros.

So it is available to at least some ovarian cancer patients in Ireland right now?

It is open right now and a compassionate access for second line patients who express this folate receptor alpha.

So there are specific patients who will not benefit, but obviously those, your oncologist would discuss that with you.

Okay.

We have been talking a lot about the drug approval process here in Ireland on the show this week in relation to Friedrich's Ataxia and the Skyclarus drug.

And there has been a huge demand for that drug from patients.

But on the general issue of the drug approval process in Ireland, Janice, there is an argument or there are people who believe that it is very slow in this country.

Is that your experience or do you have a view on it?

Oh, there's no question.

It is extremely slow and it is a great frustration for all of us as oncologists.