Trikafta is a CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapy, made to correct the malfunctioning protein made by the CFTR gene.
Provincial coverage of the cystic fibrosis (CF) drug Trikafta has been expanded, the Saskatchewan government announced Wednesday.
The medication is said to improve lung function and will be available for more patients in Saskatchewan who are living with CF. The change comes in light of a recommendation made earlier this month by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health.
The release says the expansion will now mean most patients with CF will be covered for the drug.
“We are pleased to expand coverage for this treatment for more Saskatchewan people with cystic fibrosis,” said the province’s new health minister and former education minister, Jeremy Cockrill, in the release. “We know that Trikafta improves the quality of life for patients, so expanding coverage to include these rare genetic mutations means more CF patients and their families will benefit for years to come.”
Approximately 95 per cent of people in Saskatchewan already have Trikafta coverage, the release notes. An estimated 25-per-cent more individuals without coverage are expected to become eligible with the most recent criteria expansion.
There are over 4,400 CF patients nationwide, according to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry, including more than 130 in Saskatchewan. That’s an increase since January, when the registry showed 4,300 in Canada and approximately 125 in Saskatchewan. Patients with CF or parents/guardians of children with CF are encouraged to speak with their doctor if they think they may benefit from Trikafta therapy.
The medication is a CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapy, made to correct the malfunctioning protein made by the CFTR gene.
Cystic Fibrosis Canada (CFC) celebrates the recommendation to expand coverage to patients with at least one of 152 rare mutations that cause CF, but the organization says there is more to be done.
“This recommendation is a vital step forward, but almost 200 Canadians who could potentially benefit from Trikafta are still excluded,” CFC president and CEO Kelly Grover said in a news release issued earlier this month.
CFC is urging public and private drug programs to “implement approaches that could ensure all people who could benefit from Trikafta have access,” and says its advocacy efforts will continue.
Trikafta has the potential to treat 90 per cent of Canadians with the condition, said CFC when coverage was expanded for young children in Saskatchewan earlier this year.
CF is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults, according to CFC. The condition has various effects on the body, but mainly impacts the lungs and digestive system.
The province then expanded coverage for patients ages six to 12 in August 2022.
It was in December 2023 that the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health recommended jurisdictions expand coverage of Trikafta for patients two to five years who meet certain medical criteria.
Successful pricing negotiations completed through the Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance resulted in the coverage expansion announced by the province in January. It came into effect on Feb. 1.
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