Cystic fibrosis drug Trikafta to be added to the Yukon Drug Formulary

The Government of Yukon is now in the process of adding the new, triple-combination medication, Trikafta, to its Yukon Drug Formulary. The territory will be joining six other Canadian jurisdictions that have confirmed they will fund this drug for patients with cystic fibrosis. This process is expected to be completed within the next two months.   

Trikafta is used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis and has been shown to slow progression of the disease, to improve lung function and to increase the median age of survival of a child born with cystic fibrosis by almost nine years. In addition to age, there are several specific criteria for patients to use this drug. The estimated retail price for this medication is more than $23,000 for 28 days, roughly $300,000 per patient per year.

Trikafta was accepted for priority review with Health Canada and received a positive final recommendation by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health on August 30, 2021. On September 17, the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance and the manufacturer of Trikafta completed negotiations and signed a letter of intent regarding the terms and conditions for funding this life-saving medication to treat patients with the most common cystic fibrosis mutation.

It was approved for patients 12 years and older with at least one F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which is estimated to represent 90 percent of the cystic fibrosis population.

All drugs in Canada follow a standard review and approval process, with each step informing the next. The Yukon is a member jurisdiction and participant in both Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance. We are working with the manufacturer on listing Trikafta including developing criteria for coverage.