Special CF Canada Bulletin: Manitoba will fund Trikafta
OCTOBER 22, 2021
Today is a great day! Manitoba, the final province to make a commitment to fund Trikafta, has confirmed it will bring this life-changing drug to the province.
Advocates in Manitoba have fought so hard for this moment. We here at Cystic Fibrosis Canada, are so happy for Manitoba to join the other provinces and territory in transforming the lives of Canadians living with cystic fibrosis. Thank you to everyone who has been part of making this happen. Your dedication to always going further has helped to change the cystic fibrosis story in Canada and we won’t stop here.
Watch Manitoba’s lead provincial advocate, Patti Tweed, speaking in the Manitoba legislature today about what this means to her and the whole CF community.
When will access start and will there be criteria?
Manitoba’s government has not confirmed the start date for funding, or the access criteria. We have reached out to confirm and will update the Cystic Fibrosis Canada website when we know more.
Updates from other jurisdictions
We’ve started a taskforce to tackle the issues that some people have come up against with accessing Trikafta in Ontario through OHIP+. Please join our weekly #TrikaftaToday briefings on Wednesdays at 1pm EST to find out more about what is happening or email advocacy@cysticfibrosis.ca if you would like to be part.
If you are experiencing issues, in any province, with gaining access to Trikafta please contact us at advocacy@cysticfibrosis.ca. We are looking to identify the bottle necks in the process and find ways to advocate for solutions. Please note that CF clinics may triage patients and you may experience delays in accessing Trikafta because of this. The application process and the tests involved take up considerable time for CF clinics and they have had to prioritize patients. We want to know more about any issues with systems and processes that you are coming up against. And if things have gone smoothly, please let us know that too. Comparators may be really valuable in helping to solve issues in other jurisdictions.
No One Left Behind
Today, everyone in the cystic fibrosis community in Canada should take a moment to congratulate yourselves for your part in reaching this milestone. But our work is not done. Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the federal drug programs have still not shared their intentions to list the drug, and there are issues with gaining access in some provinces that have started funding. Beyond that, many other advocacy priorities remain that we need your help to keep pushing further on, for longer and healthier lives for all Canadians with CF.
Join our weekly #TrikaftaToday briefings on Wednesdays at 1pm EST to find out more about what we are doing to help ensure access for everyone who could benefit.
Cystic Fibrosis Canada will not stop going further, because we will leave no one behind.
Join us Live today
We also hope you will join us for a Facebook Live today at 5pm CT / 6pm EST on the National Facebook Page to celebrate this moment for Manitoba and talk about what comes next.