The BC Conservatives have called on the BC NDP to reverse the decision to cut off funding for a nine-year-old girl's life-changing medication.Charleigh Pollock, who suffers from Batten disease, was given just one day's notice from the government that her bi-weekly infusions of Brineura — which cost $800,000 per year — would no longer be covered. The disease leaves her withrecurring severe seizures and mobility loss..'HEARTBREAKING': BC NDP gives family one day's notice that funding for daughter's medication will be cut off.In a press release, Rural and Seniors’ Health Critic Brennan Day argued that the government had failed to consult Batten disease specialists before making the call. He added that an expert in the field, Dr. Ineka Whiteman, had warned British Columbia was going down a slippery slope by being the first jurisdiction in the world to stop providing Brineura to a child while it was still benefiting them..BC NDP Health Minister Josie Osborne claimed the medication was no longer sufficient to treat the symptoms of the neurological condition Charleigh Pollock has lived with since she was four. The CDA determined that while Brineura is effective at slowing symptoms in patients until they reach a motor-language score of three or more. Any lower, and it the drug loses its ability to work properly."I've written to the health minister to ask a simple question: Can she tell British Columbians, in clear terms, whether any recognized Batten disease experts were consulted before cutting off this child's only lifeline?" Day wrote. "Instead of seeking expert second opinions, this government made a behind-closed-doors decision based on outdated criteria without first reaching out to the experts on this rare disease. That is simply unacceptable."He went on to suggest that, "his is what happens when bureaucracy overrides medical expertise."."We have a government that has spent millions on failed drug programs and consultants, but when it comes to saving a child's life, they say no," Day lamented. "That's not just cruel. It's inexcusable. The minister must immediately reverse this decision and reinstate Brineura treatments for Charleigh while a proper, expert-informed review takes place."In an interview with Chek News, Pollock's mother, Jori Fales, made it clear that while the science shows one thing, lived experience has proven that the medication still helps control the frequent seizures."Her right to live has been taken from her," Fales said. "At the end of the day, it should always have been the decision of her medical care team and her family and Charleigh, and none of that has happened here."This is not the first time the province has pulled funding for Pollock's treatment. In February 2025, the decision was made to cut off government assistance, however following public backlash, Osborne ordered a review of the situation by Canada's Drug Agency and vowed to continue funding until that was completed.
