Apr 26, 2023

Canadians now have access to Luxturna!

Luxturna is the first gene therapy treatment approved for an inherited retinal disease in Canada. The treatment is for people who have Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) or retinitis pigmentosa (RP) caused by mutations in both copies of the RPE65 gene. It provides a working copy of the RPE65 gene to replace the mutated version. Evidence from clinical trials shows that this treatment can safely improve vision, particularly night vision.

While it was approved by Health Canada in 2020, in spring of 2023, provinces agreed to publicly fund the treatment for all Canadians who need it.

This is an exciting moment for the vision loss community and a major step forward in the advancement of vision science. With your continuous support, our advocacy efforts grew strong, calling on all provincial governments to approve and fund this sight-saving treatment.

Together, we have changed the lives of Canadians who need this treatment, including Adam Brown, a 19-year old Ontarian, Fighting Blindness Canada community member, artist, and digital influencer who was born with the RPE65 gene causing progressive vision loss.

“This is such an exciting moment for the vision loss community.” says Adam.

Watch Adam’s story on CTV National News captured by Toronto Correspondent, Heather Butts.

Fighting Blindness Canada’s Dr. Larissa Moniz, Director of Research and Mission Programs was also interviewed for this segment.

We can’t thank you enough for your ongoing support over the last three years in helping raise awareness of this treatment, and signing the petition to approve Luxturna and fund it in Canada. Because of our collective efforts, Canadians living with the RPE65 gene are now seeing real life-changing results.