Updated on November 27, 2023
June 15, 2023 – Amylyx and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) have successfully concluded negotiations for ALBRIOZA and entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the terms and conditions under which ALBRIOZA would qualify for reimbursement through federal, provincial, and territorial public drug plans in Canada.
It is now up to individual provinces and territories to make a reimbursement decision for the therapy. If negotiations are successful, provincial and territorial drug plans will provide reimbursement for ALBRIOZA.
While this is a positive step forward in access to therapies, time is of the essence for the ALS community. Canada’s drug access and reimbursement processes and timeframes do not reflect the urgency of people living with a terminal disease. ALBRIOZA received approval with conditions from Health Canada in June 2022. In the year it took for the pCPA negotiations to conclude, an estimated 1,000 people living with ALS have died while waiting for access and thousands more will die if they must continue to wait months or years for the decision by each province to cover the therapy under provincial drug programs.
ALS Canada will continue to actively support the provincial drug programs to make informed and expedited reimbursement decisions by bringing forward the perspective and experiences of people affected by ALS. We are hopeful that provincial decision-makers in the reimbursement process will work quickly to provide expedited and equitable access for all Canadians who may benefit. There is simply no time to wait for people affected by ALS.
Advocating for swift public reimbursement of ALBRIOZA will help lay the groundwork for access to future ALS therapies. It can take as little as 60 seconds to tell the Minister responsible for health in your province or territory that ALBRIOZA must be reimbursed without delay.