Demand better access to treatments.
“This disease devastates lives. Yet it’s not prioritized.”
As an avid runner, Dr. Laura Targownik knows what it means to strive for progress. But in the clinic, progress is harder to come by. That’s because even though treatments exist, outdated policies prevent her from giving them to patients when they need them most.
Across Canada, she and other specialists treating patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face the same uphill battle: a disconnect between what policymakers prioritize and what patients actually need.
“There’s a complete disconnect between what the government thinks defines ‘severe disease’ and what we see every day in practice,” she says.
At issue are harmful “fail first” policies that restrict access to advanced therapies like biologics.
These powerful, targeted treatments are proven to help IBD patients live full, functioning lives. But before qualifying for them, patients must try – and fail – older, less effective drugs.
It’s not just frustrating. It’s costly.
“We’ve shown that giving biologics earlier reduces hospitalizations, surgeries, and medication use,” says Dr. Targownik. “Over five years, those patients cost the system less.”
“People aren’t living fully – and that should matter.”
IBD may not take lives at high rates, but it can be devastating – forever changing the lives of people who could be contributing to their communities and workplaces but instead must sit on the sidelines because of pain or long-term health issues.
That’s why Dr. Targownik is taking a stand. Beyond treating her patients, she’s fighting for a system that listens to clinicians and puts patient outcomes first.
It’s time for policy to catch up to the evidence. Quebec has already ended these harmful policies, and we want to see other jurisdictions in Canada do the same.
Sign the petition now to end “fail first” for IBD patients.
Sign the petition