Seizure medication debate heard in Saskatchewan legislature [Video]

A family affected by epilepsy and a neurologist joined the Saskatchewan NDP on Wednesday to push for the province to resume talks for a publicly funded anti-seizure medication.

Xcopri, a medication that helps those experiencing seizures, was approved by Health Canada in 2023, with the Canadian Drug Agency recommending that it be publicly funded by all provincial government drug plans.

“Just last month, the Sask. Party abruptly halted negotiations for the drug Xcopri, ignoring the advice of frontline doctors and medical specialists, as well as the pleas of people living with epilepsy,” NDP MLA and shadow minister for health Vicki Mowat said at a news conference on Wednesday.

“This drug has been found to significantly reduce seizures, and for many people living with epilepsy, it’s the only thing that works.”

Dr. Alexandra Carter, a neurologist, epileptologist, and the medical director for the Saskatchewan Epilepsy Program, said epilepsy is probably the …