QUESTION PERIOD — Health
Access to Medicine
October 27, 2020
Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate regarding the drug Trikafta being unavailable in Canada.
Trikafta is a revolutionary drug that can be used to treat up to 90% of people with cystic fibrosis, and the results are amazing. It’s being called a miracle drug. The Minister of Health says that she’s waiting for the manufacturer of this triple combination therapy to apply for approval, but Vertex says that it’s concerned about Canada’s patented medicine price regulation framework. Patients are stuck in the middle and have no say.
Government Representative, isn’t it time for the Government of Canada to change course on this file and support collaboration with the parties involved in order to speed up the approval of Trikafta and finally make it available to Canadian patients who have been waiting for it for far too long?
Thank you for the question. The Government of Canada recognizes that access to new therapies is important to patients with serious or terminal diseases like the one you mentioned. I have been told that Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which makes Trikafta, has not yet submitted a marketing application for this product in Canada. It’s up to the manufacturer to decide whether it will apply to market its product in Canada.
However, for serious or life-threatening conditions like cystic fibrosis, doctors can request access to drugs through special access programs. I’m told that, as of October 1, 2020, 146 patients in Canada have been granted access to this medication through Health Canada’s special access programs. I also understand that, to help Canadians get better access to effective treatments, the government is working with the provinces, territories and other partners to develop a national strategy for high-cost drugs for rare diseases.
Thank you, Senator Gold. It’s a very complicated issue, and, as we know, Trikafta is just one aspect of the problem we’re facing, as you mentioned.
I’m sure you’ve heard about the many concerns raised by the latest guidelines of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. Several organizations, such as Cystic Fibrosis Canada, have expressed serious concerns about the proposed changes. I’ve heard that these changes could impede access to other breakthrough treatments for various diseases and reduce new drug submissions and clinical trials. In fact, just yesterday, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health voted unanimously to study those guidelines.
Senator Gold, shouldn’t the government also undertake an independent review to ensure that these new guidelines don’t have an impact, not just on patients, but on the R&D sector as well?
Thank you for the question. As I said, the government takes access to drugs very seriously, and it is aware of the problems associated with this, particularly for high-cost drugs.
As for undertaking a review, I’m not in a position to comment, but I’m sure the government is working with the pharmaceutical industry and its partners to ensure that, in Canada, we are not inadvertently creating barriers that would prevent Canadians from getting the medications they need.
