Manitoba became the latest Canadian province to cover costs for potential life-saving treatments for cystic fibrosis and HIV exposure Friday.
The province added two new drugs to the provincial formulary Oct. 22, including Trikafta and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and therefore covering costs for users who meet provincial eligibility requirements.
A triple-combination drug, Trikafta has been found to both treat symptoms of cystic fibrosis, including severe side effects, and to greatly increase life expectancy for people who are able to take it. Trikafta has also been found to target a specific genetic mutation that can cause cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder affecting the lungs, liver, pancreas and other internal organs that affects about one of every 3,600 Canadians.
The drug was first approved for use and sale in Canada back in June for people over age 12.
Trikafta is also very expensive - without costs covered through insurance, a year's supply of the drug can cost around $300,000. Those costs, almost always prohibitive for possible users, will now be covered by the province, as they are already in every other Canadian province.
“Trikafta is the single greatest innovation in cystic fibrosis history and it has the power to transform the lives of thousands of Canadians,” said Cystic Fibrosis Canada president and CEO Kelly Grover in a news release.
“The CF community in Manitoba has fought long and hard to get this drug into their hands. Access to Trikafta will mean longer and healthier lives for so many people, and the ability to plan for a future that many feared they might not live to see.”
PrEP is a medicine used by people who may be at risk of contracting HIV through sex or intravenous drug use. Taken daily, the medication can keep HIV from spreading in a person's body and can greatly reduce the risk of contracting either HIV or AIDS. Two PrEP drugs - Descovy and Truvada - are currently approved by Health Canada.
“Manitoba has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in Canada and our epidemiology shows clearly that those communities most at risk are also the least likely to be able to afford the cost of PrEP,” said Nine Circles Community Health Centre executive director Michael Payne in a provincial press release.
“The cost of treating one person living with HIV is far greater than the cost of HIV prevention with PrEP. The inclusion of PrEP in the formulary is a game-changer and will no doubt improve opportunities for HIV prevention.”
No start date for when either Trikafta or PrEP will be covered was announced in the news coverage.
All nine other Canadian provinces, including Saskatchewan, had already committed to funding Trikafta. Federal government programs, as well as territorial formularies for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, do not cover the treatment.
