'Patch us back up' - pain sufferers in Meath appeal to Minister

A local chronic pain sufferer has set up a campaign appealing to Health Minister Simon Harris to have pain relief Versatis patches reinstated on the drug payment and medical card schemes.

Anna Rice from Trim suffers from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a neurological condition and set up the 'Patch Us Back Up' group on facebook last week along with four friends who have chronic pain conditions. "I have pain from the top of my head to my finger tips and down to my ribs on my right hand side. I've been using Versatis patches for seven years. They help a lot," said Anna who also takes a lot of other medication for her condition.

In December, Anna found out she would no longer be able to get the drug on the Drug Payment Scheme and has been quoted €180 per box of 30 patches from her pharmacist, which she says she cannot afford. She uses up to three boxes a month to control her pain and she is also on a lot of other expensive medication.

"Simon Harris and Professor Michael Barry said they are not proven to help anyone other than those with post shingles pain but there are 25,000 chronic pain suffers in Ireland who use them.

"I would like to know how they came up with the statistics saying it doesn't help with any other conditions other than shingles. So many other people were on the Joe Duffy show with chronic pain conditions and it helps them."

Anna intends to appeal the decision doesn't hold out much hope and said of the 4,400 people who appealed it 90 per cent had been turned down.
"Last Wednesday myself and four friends decided we have had enough. We all have different forms of chronic pain and we set up a campaign 'Patch us back up' on facebook.

"We plan to send thank you cards, sarcastically, to thank Minister Harris for leaving us all in this desperate situation on 1st March. Then the next day he will have a load of envelopes from chronic pain sufferers and their families and we hope he will do something."

"We hope they might realise that people aren't willing to sit back in silence. I don't think they expected so much uproar. People are desperate," she said.

Jack Lawlor from Kingscourt has suffered from spinal stenosis since 2005. He started using Versatis patches in 2010 and uses two on his back every day to control the pain. He has been cutting them in half to try to make them last.

"The blanket ban on drug scheme and medical card holders has had a devastating effect. We are in constant pain, we are prescribed oral medication to help our various conditions. But Versatis patches are unique in how they help to manage our pain levels." He feels is it purely a financial decision and argues that it won't be cost effective in the long run as it will result in more visits to hospital and more medical procedures.

According to a HSE spokesperson, the change was introduced "due to the drug being inappropriately prescribed by condition and duration".  The HSE say it is only licenced for use for post herpetic neuralgia (PHN) pain, and there is no published clinical evidence for its use in other pain scenarios.

"From the reimbursement applications processed to date, it is clear that this patch is being prescribed for conditions that are very unlikely to respond to a product of this nature," the spokesperson said.