Trikafta is not a cure — cystic fibrosis has no known cure — but it dramatically lessens the disease’s severity and slows its progression.
Eight months ago, simply the thought of climbing a staircase without retching and throwing up seemed impossibly far-fetched for the now-24-year-old Stittsville resident and cystic fibrosis patient, never mind becoming a schoolteacher, running a marathon or any of the other notions that might get into the head of a young woman with her whole life stretched in front of her.
The drug is not a cure — cystic fibrosis has no known cure — but it dramatically lessens the disease’s severity and slows its progression. “Being able to start children at the age of six is going to mean a very different reality for them than the people who are currently living with cystic fibrosis.” In 2020, a study conducted by researchers from Dalhousie University, the Hospital for Sick Children and St Michael’s Hospital concluded widespread access to Trikafta would result in numerous health benefits, including an increase in the estimated median age of survival for a child born with CF by 9.2 years, a 60-per-cent drop in the number of people living with severe lung disease and 15 per cent fewer CF-related deaths.
Ontario is the first province to lower the availability age and eliminate the lung-function requirement, announcing those changes last Friday. Alberta followed suit on Monday, and Steele hopes other provinces and territories will similarly act soon.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion: Canada’s breast-screening measures aren’t equitable enoughEarly detection of breast cancer saves lives, but disparities leave underscreened populations more vulnerable
Read more »
Etizolam creates 'life-saving challenges' for first responders in B.C.'s overdose crisisEtizolam, which is not licensed in Canada, has a highly sedating effect on a person, with drowsiness, blackouts and memory loss that can persist for hours.
Read more »
Government Releases Workplace Review of Royal Newfoundland ConstabularyA workplace review of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has been completed showing that 'transformational ch...
Read more »
Opinion: B.C. court upholds public health system despite threat to patients' livesThe reasons for the ruling are confusing and rife with cognitive and legal dissonance
Read more »