On October 5, CIPO wrote to the Alberta Minister of Health, Tyler Shandro, asking for access to gene therapy for two children (under the age of 2) who have been diagnosed with ADA-SCID, a severe form of immunodeficiency.
Both children are not candidates for bone marrow transplant, and are currently receiving an enzyme replacement therapy as a “bridge” therapy to keep them healthy until they can receive gene therapy. Gene therapy is currently not available or approved in Canada, and the Ministry of Health in Alberta denied the application for the two children to receive the treatment in Europe, where it is approved and is standard treatment for ADA-SCID.
We ask all CIPO members in Alberta to write to your MLA and request access to gene therapy for patients today and going forward.
See CIPO’s letter Minister Shandro, 09_30.
Find your MLA here.