What happened to Coverage for Expensive Drugs for Rare Diseases?
Governments identified the need for a collaborative approach to this issue, given the extremely high cost of these therapies, that if one jurisdiction were to decide to fund them, other jurisdictions would be pressured to follow suit and the possibility of Canadians moving to jurisdictions where the medication is provided. In September 2008, the provincial/territorial health ministers indicated their intent to approach the federal government to establish a Canadian Access Program for Drugs for Rare Diseases, which would involve centralized, transparent decision-making with public involvement, with the cost of these medications split 50/50 between the federal government and the provinces or territories. Two provinces have addressed the issue. The government of Alberta has a Rare Disease Drug Program, which came into effect on April 1, 2009. Albertans are required to apply for coverage under the program. The program defines a rare disease as one that affects less than 1 in 50 000 Canadia
