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NOTICE PAPER NO. 2858
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 2 JULY 2024
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Ong Hua Han
Nominated Member of Parliament
Question No. 6174
To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the annual cost of taking risdiplam for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy in view that the Ministry’s Drug Advisory Committee has recommended “risdiplam 0.75 mg/mL powder for oral solution” for inclusion in the Medication Assistance Fund from 1 August 2024; (b) whether the current Standard Drug List Subsidy Framework is enough to alleviate this cost for patients; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider increasing the subsidy to make it more affordable for patients.
NOTICE PAPER NO. 2858
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 2 JULY 2024
Question No. 6175
To ask the Minister for Health (a) how often does the Ministry accept recommendations from the Drug Advisory Committee; and (b) what are the considerations of the Ministry in accepting recommendations from the Drug Advisory Committee.
NOTICE PAPER NO. 2858
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 2 JULY 2024
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Ong Hua Han
Nominated Member of Parliament
Question No. 5865
To ask the Minister for Health how does the Ministry's Drug Advisory Committee derive the estimated cost impact to the public healthcare system of listing risdiplam on the List of Subsidised Drugs to be between $5 million and $10 million per year in the first five years.
Written Answer
1 The annual cost of risdiplam in Singapore is currently about S$375,000. Following the Drug Advisory Committee (DAC)’s recommendation to subsidise risdiplam under the Medication Assistance Fund (MAF) subsidy framework, eligible patients in public healthcare institutions can receive up to 75% subsidies for risdiplam from 1 Aug 2024. Patients who face affordability concerns after subsidies may apply for financial assistance such as MediFund at public healthcare institutions.
2 The estimated cost impact to the public healthcare system of listing risdiplam for subsidies is derived from the projected number of patients that require risdiplam in Singapore, and the cost of treatment.
3 The DAC is a standing committee that regularly makes evidence-based recommendations to MOH for drugs to be subsidised. These recommendations are based on objective considerations such as clinical need of patients, clinical and cost effectiveness of the treatment, and budget impact. Recommendations are surfaced to MOH three to four times a year. Thus far, MOH has accepted these recommendations.