In Canada, 1 in 12 people live with a rare disease and for most, the cost of treatment is unaffordable.

That’s where a bilateral agreement between the Governments of Saskatchewan and federal government comes in.

The federal and provincial Ministers of Health met at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital today (Friday) to sign an agreement which provides $40 million in federal funding for drugs for three rare diseases.

Federal Health Minister, Mark Holland, says it’s hard enough to finally be diagnosed with a rare disease and navigate the health care system, let alone have to worry about how to pay for the medications.

He believes this agreement will help and adds that Saskatchewan isn’t the only province on board.

“This is our fourth agreement. We’ve signed agreements with B.C., with Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta.”

Saskatchewan’s Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill says the province already covers the cost of these drugs, but funding will help to sustain Saskatchewan’s publicly funded drug plan into the future.

“What this agreement today does, it helps us to ensure that we’re expanding coverage and looking at adding more drugs down the road to address other rare diseases that affect children and patients of all ages.”

The first drugs to be funded through the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases are:

-Poteligeo, for the treatment of mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome;
-Oxlumo, for the treatment of hyperoxaluria type 1; and
-Epkinly for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.