Lifesaving medication 'impossible to afford' for Sask. woman

Morgan Buyaki is suffering from a rare condition called Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) which causes inflammation in blood vessels, but the life-saving medication she needs is far too expensive, even with partial funding from the government.

The 23-year-old from Nipawin has struggled with various health conditions over the years, confounding specialists and doctors until they recently diagnosed her with EGPA.

Her mother says it was encouraging to finally know what was causing her daughter’s discomfort.

“We knew what it was. We were told that up until five years ago it was fatal, but now for the first time they have a new treatment called Nucala,” said April Mcivor, Morgan’s mother.

“It’s biologic, a new type of medication and it’s life-saving for EGPA.”

The problem is, that the medication is extremely expensive, and Morgan’s case requires monthly doses of 300 mg.

“So it comes to approximately 7,000-10,000 a month for one shot,” said Mcivor.

The Ministry of Health says it can’t comment on an individual’s situation due to privacy, but it did say Nucala is an eligible benefit under Exception Drug Status (EDS) in Saskatchewan.

Even with an EDS covering the medication in Saskatchewan, it only covers a third of what Morgan needs monthly.

“They only approve you for 100, and each mg is thousands of dollars, so we would have to come up with 6,000 - 9,000 on top of what they are supplying, which is just financially impossible,” said Mcivor, who has started a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of Nucala, the drug that can save Morgan’s life.

“I’m hoping that somewhere out there there’s somebody who has the ability or can fundraise, a sports team or maybe someone that’s been really blessed financially, we’re just looking for a miracle,” she said.

Mcivor admits it’s humbling to have to ask for help.

“It’s really hard to ask for help from other people who I know are just trying to survive and take care of their own children.”

So far GoFundMe has raised over $13,000 for Morgan.