In a compassionate, caring society we should do everything in our power to help those who are affected by illness with the best possible care available to them. As such there is an obligation to provide public funding for Kalydeco since it is known to be effective in case of a deadly disease such as Cystic Fibrosis.
Be that as it may, the reality today is that the ability to follow through with this will likely be a function of an economic argument, and here the potential cost savings introduced by making Kalydeco available to CF patients must be taken into consideration, especially since earlier this year the Ontario provincial Committee to Evaluate Drugs (CED) reached the conclusion that the high cost of KALYDECO™ has put the cost-effectiveness of this drug therapy in question.
In addition to Kalydeco providing a huge improvement to the quality of life for CF patients with the G551D mutation, this drug – as expensive at it is – will be a significant cost-saver to the medical system due to the vastly reduced need for frequent hospitalization, as well as being able to do without the extensive regime of CF associated medications that must be taken on a daily basis. There is good evidence to suggest that these kinds of cost savings are realized almost immediately after a CF patient with the G551D mutation starts taking Kalydeco.
As well, we can anticipate significant long term costs savings to the public health care system due to the greatly reduced likelihood of a double long transplant being necessary in the CF patient’s future as the only means to survive the disease in the long term.
Lastly, measuring societal costs for the treatment of a disease such as Cystic Fibrosis is inherently difficult, but if Kalydeco continues to be as successful as it has proven be during its three-year trial, CF patients that are able to benefit from this drug will end up being productive members of society, and able to contribute to the full extent of their human potential; this as opposed to being a burden to society in terms of the cost of their care to the public health system. The same can be said for their immediate caregivers – mostly parents of children with CF – who will be able to resume their lives and their careers unburdened by the toll levied on their daily lives by having to look after their loved ones afflicted with this awful disease.