Achi news desk-
A new Calgary-area father is pressing the province to fund a new cancer treatment that could improve his chances of seeing his daughter grow up.
Chris Dyment was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in April 2023 and after 12 rounds of chemotherapy, his treatment will soon end.
The 34-year-old’s daughter Courtney was born earlier in the month.
“I look at my daughter and I want to be there with her,” he said.
“Bile duct cancer is a very aggressive cancer and the percentages are not very high to begin with, so any percentage is better than nothing.”
Bile duct cancer, or cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), is a rare, aggressive cancer that is currently treated in Alberta with one drug, but if it is unsuccessful, there is no second treatment option.
Health Canada has approved the use of the targeted therapy Pemigatinib (Pemazyre), but Alberta currently does not cover the approximately $15,000 per month cost.
Dyment desperately wants to be there for his daughter, but knows that without another treatment option her survival rate will drop dramatically.
“Obviously, I want to see her grow and without this drug, it’s almost impossible,” he said.
Chris Dyment with his daughter Courtney, born on March 1. (Courtesy: Chris Dyment)
The pilot has not been able to work since his diagnosis and is likely to be unable to afford Pemigatinib (Pemazyre).
“If this drug works, it really works. People have had an operation that has saved their lives and then I can be there with my daughter when she gets married,” he said.
Fight for change
Brenda Clayton’s eldest daughter Rebecca was diagnosed with the rare cancer in 2020 and died in 2021, six and a half months after her first line treatment ended.
Her family has since started the charity Cholangio-hepatocellular Carcinoma Canada.
“I don’t want to see other people go through what Rebecca went through,” Clayton said.
Rebecca (front left) and Brenda (front right) Clayton can be seen in a family photo. Rebecca died of bile duct cancer in 2021. (Courtesy: Brenda Clayton)
Clayton said patients have an average survival of five months off treatment unless they can find treatment elsewhere in the world.
“This cancer is one of the few that does not have a second-line therapy to use,” he said. “This has to change and our Canadians deserve a chance at life.”
He said Quebec and countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and China cover the cost of Pemigatinib.
Clayton said he will meet with Alberta Health Minister Adriana Lagrange on April 2 to discuss this.
“We recognize that people living with bile duct cancer have few treatment options and we are looking for new and better ways to tackle this disease. At this time, Alberta aligns with the Canada-wide Oncology Drug Review Expert Review Committee,” Alberta Health said in a statement to CTV News.
“However, the entire Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance is currently negotiating a pricing agreement with the drug’s manufacturer. If a pricing agreement is reached, each province and territory, including Alberta, will consider the committee’s recommendation and the pricing agreement when deciding whether or not to list the drug.”
In 2022, the Canada-wide Oncology Drug Review Expert Review Committee recommended that Pemazyre (pemigatinib) should not be reimbursed on government-sponsored drug plans because of some uncertainty about the drug’s benefits.
On March 7, 2024, the Canadian-wide Pharmaceutical Alliance began price negotiations with the manufacturer of Pemazyre.
Clayton said besides Dyment, she knows of one other Albertan waiting for the treatment.
She has also reached out to the health ministers in every province and territory in Canada, hoping to be part of a more promising future for people facing this disease.
“When he died he asked us to continue the fight against cholangiocarcinoma.”
Dyment said he had also contacted the health minister and received a statement similar to the one provided to CTV News.
