Health Canada Approves Trikafta for Children Ages 2-5

OCTOBER 18, 2023

We are excited to report that Health Canada has approved Trikafta for children aged two to five with at least one F508del gene mutation.  

This builds on the earlier approval for those aged six and older in April 2022. Health Canada’s approval today is the first step toward young children gaining access to Trikafta, potentially slowing their disease progression. While this is welcome news to Canadian families who have been waiting for to access the drug, children ages 2-5 cannot access Trikafta until Canadian jurisdictions agree to fund it. 

What’s next? 

The Health Canada approval is the first step in the process of drug access. Trikafta is currently in review with the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Heath (CADTH) and the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS). These agencies will make recommendations to Canada’s public drug plans on whether they should fund Trikafta for children aged two and older with at least one copy of the most common CF mutation, F508del.   

We are calling on provinces, territories, and private insurers to immediately fund Trikafta for Canadians aged two and older, and all who can benefit, ito ease the financial hardship for these families.  

Anticipated timeline: 

We will provide additional details on timing, however, we expect CADTH’s draft and final recommendations to be issued this fall. We will be looking to our community to help us ensure that jurisdictional funding is expedited and is not delayed due to the holiday season. We expect Quebec’s reimbursement review body, INESSS, to follow a similar timeline to CADTH. We are following up with BC Pharmacare for clarity on the province’s timeline.  

How you can help 

Cystic Fibrosis Canada is advocating for access to Trikafta for all Canadians who can benefit, including those 2-5 with the most common CF mutation and those with rare mutations. Also, we are asking that provinces and territories remove deductibles on life changing rare disease medications, like Trikafta. 

We encourage you to use our simple tool to send our letter to your local elected members calling for immediate access for all Canadians who can benefit from Trikafta. Simply fill in the fields with your information and your information including your name, province/territory and connection to CF will automatically be applied to the letter. If you would like to personalize your letter further, click into the letter box and type your story.   

Are you interested in getting more involved in our advocacy work? Contact us here.