IVF drug funding could be reduced in Quebec

Quebec couldreduce funding for medications used in fertility treatmentsnext month, four months after it ended publiclyfundedfertilization procedures, Health Minister Gatan Barrette says.

Barrette said the province is reviewing funding for the drugsassociated with fertility treatments, which can cost around$5,000 per cycle.

Some people trying to conceive go through several cycles.

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Last November, Quebec eliminated public funding for the full cost of the clinical procedureof fertilizing and implanting eggs, which can run up to $10,000.

However, couples were still eligible for tax credits for20 to 80 per cent of costs, based on their income.

The same rules will likely apply to drugs used in these treatments. The province currently pays 80 per cent of the cost of the medications.

'Raising a child is also a cost'

Barrette said the cost of in-vitro fertilizationis roughly similar to the annual cost of raising a child.

"IVF is one thing. To raise a child is another thing," the minister said.

"The costs that are involved in IVF are, at the end, closely similar to the cost of raising a child. So if the IVF in itself is anobstacle, if the cost is an obstacle to have a child, well I have something to say, which is that raising a child is also a cost."

An advocacy group for infertile couples said some of its members are already stocking up on drugs.

"Infertility is a disease. They're leaving us with a disease," said Martine Valle Cossette of the Association desCouples Infertiles du Qubec.

"A lot of couples are not able to have the treatment. Some people will go to the bank, take a loan, and it will be even more awful for them."

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The new restrictions on fertility drugs are being studied by INESSS, a provincial institute that makes recommendations on which drugs and medical technologies should be covered by the government.

Barrette said he expects INESSS to recommend the new restriction in March.