Maritimers with cystic fibrosis closer to better access to life-changing drug
After fighting for it for years, Maritimers with cystic fibrosis are getting closer to having better access to what many call a life-changing drug treatment.
As of Friday, all three Maritime governments say they will cover the expensive drug, called Trikafta, under provincial health plans.
The announcement that Nova Scotia plans to cover the drug through its provincial plan is potentially life-changing for 31-year-old CF patient Ana Dujakovic.
Dujakovic says she was "ecstatic" when she heard the news. That news came unexpectedly Thursday, during Question Period at Province House.
Former Liberal Health Minister Zach Churchill posed the question to the new PC Health Minister, Michelle Thompson.
"Can the minister provide an update on Trikafta?" said Churchill.
"The Trikafta drug will be added to the Nova Scotia formulary," replied Thompson, "it was approved and will be added in November."
"This is like the best new therapy for CF, it's like insulin for diabetics," says Dujakovic, "that's the level of importance that I think it is for us."
Trikafta targets the genetic mutation that is the root cause of the fatal disease.
The treatment is expensive, costing more than $350,000 a year per patient.
Many private health insurance plans, including Dujakovic's, don't provide coverage.
CF patient Stefan Strecko fought to get Trikafta through private insurance and eventually succeeded.
"I've been on it for it about six weeks now and I feel incredible," he says, "I can't even really describe how good it makes me feel."
Strecko says the medication has eliminated symptoms and improved his lung function.
He hopes this announcement means the drug will become available to anyone who needs it.
"And start giving people the opportunity to live real lives and focus on their futures," he adds.
Friday, the government of Prince Edward Island announced it will also start covering Trikafta, starting Nov. 1.
A spokesperson for New Brunswick's health department also confirmed to CTV News the medication will be added to its provincial drug plan sometime this month.
But there are no details yet on exactly what that will look like, and who will be eligible – important details for CF patients.
"Because right now CADTH (Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health), its recommendations are very good, but it does not include all cystics and that's not fair," says CF patient Tim Vallillee.
CADTH is a national organization established by the federal government that advises healthcare decision-makers. In its public recommendations on the drug, the agency suggested only people with less than 90 percent lung function should start Trikafta.
Nova Scotia's Minister of Health would only say Friday that more information will be revealed when the drug is officially added to the provincial plan.
"I am confident though," says Thompson, "that given that the work that's been done previously that people will find themselves within the criteria."
For those who live with CF, coming this much closer to coverage, is bittersweet though, knowing some others died of CF while waiting.
The fight for Trikafta made headlines in Nova Scotia after 23-year-old Chantelle Lindsay died after being denied compassionate access to the drug while she was in hospital.
"That part, it breaks my heart," says Vallillee.
Vallillee and others hope getting access will help prevent any more of that heartbreak.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.