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Webinar discussion of the 2021/2022 Grants and Fellowships Competition & Q&A
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pCPA
WHAT IS THE PCPA?
This pCPA is an alliance made up of drug program leaders from all provincial, territorial and federal governments who work collaboratively to negotiate drug prices for their respective programs. Its pricing decisions are a precondition of having a medication covered on provincial drug formularies.
When a drug comes to Canada it must go through the Canadian drug regulatory, review and reimbursement system. The drug must go to various review bodies before it is eligible for public reimbursement. The pCPA is the last stage before public health plans decide whether or not to list a drug.
Currently, there are two cystic fibrosis (CF) medications undergoing negotiations with the pCPA: Orkambi and Kalydeco. Both are as CFTR-modulators. Rather than just treating symptoms, these drugs target the basic defect from specific mutations that cause CF.
This is a positive step in a complex process, but we need to ensure that Trikafta is part of these negotiations so that it can be covered as quickly as possible
For more information please see the Q&A.
WHAT NEGOTIATIONS FOR CF MODULATORS HAVE OCCURRED WITH THE PCPA?
All Canadian provinces provide coverage for Kalydeco for those with a specific mutation (the G551D mutation) on an exceptional, case-by-case basis. In 2019, the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) and the manufacturer completed price negotiations for additional Kalydeco mutations, which unfortunately are still not covered by most public drug programs.
In June 2020, the pCPA and Vertex Pharmaceuticals agreed to start negotiations on the drugs Orkambi and Kalydeco. The goal of these negotiations is to come to an agreement on price, which Cystic Fibrosis Canada hopes will lead to improved public coverage of Kalydeco and Orkambi, and pave the way for access to Trikafta, a newer, more impactful, game changing treatment for cystic fibrosis.
For more information please see the Q&A.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Cystic Fibrosis Canada is calling all provincial ministries of Health to:
- Work with our federal and provincial public drug programs through the pCPA to include Trikafta as part of the current price negotiations for Orkambi and Kalydeco.
- Make a commitment to expedite Trikafta through pCPA negotiations and provide immediate public coverage Trikafta and the other CF medicines with the broadest prescribing criteria possible.
