Four medical conditions are being added to the newborn screening program. Health Minister Paul Merriman says with province-wide testing, we can detect more of these conditions than ever before.
The screening will now be expanded to include Spinal Muscular Atrophy, hemoglobinopathies which include Sickle Cell disease, a certain marker for hearing loss, and Severe Combined Immunodeficiency.
The availability of medications for Spinal Muscular Atrophy means a newborn will now have early treatment options for the otherwise degenerative and life-threatening symptoms. As part of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, Saskatchewan has reached an agreement for two medications for SMA.
A news release from the province states that an announcement about covering these new treatments can be expected in the coming weeks.
Patient/Family Advocate Lindsay Williamson says , “Newborns with these health conditions will now be diagnosed much faster with less additional testing, which simplifies the process for families during a stressful situation,” Williamson said. “Now that the province has this newborn screening in place, a diagnosis is immediate which greatly shortens the path to treatment.”