Enda Kenny says the makers of an expensive drug for cystic fibrosis patients are "ripping off the taxpayer".
The Taoiseach says drug company Vertex are charging "grossly excessive" prices which mean patients cannot access the drug.
He was being questioned by opposition leaders, who are demanding that the drug Orkambi be provided on the public health system.
The drug is considered "life-changing" by some patients who have received it on a trial basis, although it does not have such dramatic effects for other patients.
However the drug is not provided on the public system because the State is only willing to pay €30,000 per patient a year to have it administered.
But Vertex, its makers, are seeking €150,000 per patient per year - on the basis that it has invested around $9 billion in research.
Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly reports...
