People with idopathic pulmonary fibrosis want drug covered
'There are other people who don't have a drug plan and these people can't afford it'
Patients fighting a rare lung disease want the province to pay for a drug that could extend their lives.
Members of the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation met today with P.E.I. Health Minister Doug Currie.
They want PharmaCare coverage for the drug Esbriet. It's the only medicine approved for treatment of idopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
IPF patients typically die of the disease within two to five years of diagnosis.
Islander Garth Matthews has the disease and struggles for breath.
He was at the meeting with the health minister.
“I'm fortunate enough to have a health-care plan that's paying for Esbriet, but there are other people who don't have a drug plan and these people can't afford it,” he said.
“I hate to see them going downhill without the one drug that could slow their progress.”
Seven provinces currently fund Esbriet. P.E.I. is the only province in Atlantic Canada that doesn't.