A campaign to Orkambi soon to be launched

Photo courtesy
Yannick Brouillette, cystic Fibrosis Canada

Antoine Lacroix

Sunday, 11 February, 2018 01:00

UPDATE
Sunday, 11 February, 2018 01:00

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A broad campaign to convince the government of Québec of the benefits of the medication Orkambi will be launched in the coming weeks by cystic Fibrosis Canada.

After their victory for the neonatal screening in 2017, the organization has decided to make his horse of battle for the drug to be recognized and repaid.

“We will mobilize everyone, everywhere in Quebec, in order for this to be a success. We are going to start a petition, we will ask people to write to their mp, we will try to meet the minister of Health Gaétan Barrette], ” says Yannick Brouillette, director general of the Quebec division of cystic Fibrosis Canada.

According to the statistics of the Quebec division of cystic Fibrosis Canada, 469 people aged 12 years and older would be eligible to take the medicine.

Change lives

A dozen have because they are considered by Quebec as the ” exceptional patient “, which means that this is their last alternative before death.

Only a handful of people manage to get through their private insurance.

“It could benefit so many people completely change their lives,” says Dr. Brouillette.

According to him, it is a drug ” safe and effective, which allows people to see their state stabilize “.

“But it does not meet the criteria of the national Institute of excellence in health care and social services [INESSS]. And we see clearly the process of assessment in the same way. We miss improve the lives of hundreds of people, ” said he.

Contacted by The Newspaper, the office of the minister Gaétan Barrette has indicated that it “always respects the scientific opinion of the INESSS, which is an institution independent, rigorous and recognised, ” and which concluded ” that the drug does not meet the criterion of therapeutic value, so that it has not been demonstrated.”