GET INVOLVED
Advocate
PHA Canada is dedicated to ensuring all pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients receive the best care from diagnosis onward. We empower patients, caregivers, families, and the pulmonary hypertension medical community to advocate for key issues with governments. Your support amplifies our voice.
Sotatercept must be publicly accessible as an additional therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension patients.
In August 2024, Health Canada approved sotatercept (Winrevair™), the first activin signalling inhibitor for long-term pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) treatment. Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA) has now issued a recommendation that sotatercept be publicly funded, alongside standard pulmonary arterial hypertension therapies, for adult patients in WHO Functional Class II or III—provided it's prescribed by a PAH specialist and patients are not at low risk. PHA Canada has been actively engaged with the CDA throughout their review process.
Until April 2, sotatercept was in limbo, waiting for provinces to begin price negotiations through the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), but it is now in active negotiations.
Time Matters! Please write to your provincial or territorial health minister using the template below. Your voice can encourage provincial or territorial leaders to prioritize and expedite negotiations so that sotatercept becomes available to Canadians without further delay.
Please also encourage your family members, friends and members of your extended networks to also send this letter by sharing this link with them: https://www.phacanada.ca/advocate
Together, we can ensure that Canadian pulmonary arterial hypertension patients have timely access to this new therapy.
Thank you for your support!
Time Matters PAH:
Advocate for Sotatercept in Canada
Timeline
1. Join the Movement, Access the Tools!
Becoming part of the Time Matters PAH advocacy campaign means getting equipped with everything you need to make a difference. By signing up, you unlock our exclusive Advocacy Toolkit—a comprehensive resource filled with all the tools, guides, and strategies you'll need to become a powerful advocate for change.
Need support or have questions? Contact us at 1-877-774-2226 or info@phacanada.ca.
2. Write to your provincial or territorial health minister
Your voice matters! Use our letter template to send a message to your provincial or territorial health minister to emphasize the importance of making sotatercept accessible without delay. Simply fill in your details, and the letter will automatically be emailed on your behalf. Consider sharing it with friends and family.
3. Amplify the message
Use social media to amplify the message. Share your advocacy efforts online. Tag your provincial health minister, elected officials, and @PHACanada. Use the hashtag #TimeMattersPAH to spread the word and encourage others to join the cause.
Examples of social media posts:
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I’m affected by pulmonary arterial hypertension and I’m urging Minister [last name] to fund sotatercept (Winrevair™). Patients with this life-threatening disease deserve access to the best treatments. Let’s make this happen! 💜 #SupportPH #PHAwareness #TimeMattersPAH
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2000+ Canadians have pulmonary arterial hypertension. #Sotatercept (Winrevair™) offers hope, but many won’t have access without public funding. Join me in asking Minister [insert last name] to prioritize funding for this life-saving treatment! #PHAwareness #TimeMattersPAH
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Time matters for pulmonary arterial hypertension patients! I’m urging Minister [insert last name] to ensure that public funding makes #sotatercept (Winrevair™) available. This treatment is a game-changer and we need it now. 🫁💜 #PHAwareness #TimeMattersPAH
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🫁 I’m calling on Minister [insert last name] to fund #sotatercept (Winrevair™), a life-saving treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Every day without this treatment could cost lives. Let's make sure Canadians have the care they need. 💜 #PHAwareness #TimeMattersPAH
Together, we will make a difference!
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us directly:
4. Join our monthly Advocate Call
Want to know what’s new with the Time Matters PAH campaign?
Join our quick, 30-minute drop-in calls to hear the latest updates from PHA Canada, find out what’s coming up, and learn how you can get involved. Whether you’ve been active in the campaign or are just getting started, this is a great chance to get caught up, ask questions, and share what you’ve been working on in your community.
These casual check-ins are open to all—come as you are and stay connected with others who care about making change happen.
Ways to get involved
In 2025, PHA Canada continued to drive change through meaningful, action-oriented advocacy. Building on our national #TimeMattersPAH campaign, we set out to raise awareness of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and push for better, more equitable access to sotatercept. Our work took us into the heart of government, where we met with elected officials and policy influencers to make one thing clear: time matters for those living with PAH.
📍 St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
To mark World PH Day, our advocates met with Paul Dinn, MHA for Topsail–Paradise, Jamie Korab, MHA, and Alicia Chenard, Executive Assistant to the Minister of Health and Community Services. We shared urgent messages and the need for timely, equitable access to sotatercept. Special thanks to our advocates Heather Marrie, Sonya Collins, and Denise Rumbolt, who shared powerful personal stories to show why TimeMattersPAH.
📍 Winnipeg, Manitoba
Our Manitoba advocates brought the campaign to the Legislature, where we met with Hon. Uzoma Asagwara, Minister of Health, Seniors, and Long-Term Care, and Carla Compton, MLA for Tuxedo, who introduced us to the House. Our team included PAH patients, caregivers, clinicians, and allies: Tanya Stinson, Cindy Hayman, Chrissy Wilder, Rod Wilder, Dr. David Christensen, Christine Smilski, Andrea Toews, and Jo-Ann McKenzie. We also met with representatives from Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties to ensure this issue crosses party lines.
Together, these efforts are pushing PAH to the forefront of the healthcare conversation and advocating for earlier diagnosis and better access to care.
Why It Matters
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a progressive, life-threatening illness that often goes unrecognized. For those affected, time matters — every moment counts when it comes to diagnosis, treatment, and support. By speaking up, our advocacy teams are changing the future of PAH care in Canada.
2025 advocacy efforts
On November 20 and 21, PHA Canada advocates took action at Queen’s Park, meeting with political officials to raise awareness about pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and advocate for timely access to sotatercept (Winrevair™) for Canadians living with this life-threatening condition. These meetings were a vital step in ensuring that PAH patients across Ontario receive the treatments they need without unnecessary delays.
Our advocates shared their powerful stories and emphasized the urgency of making sotatercept publicly accessible, highlighting how this groundbreaking therapy has the potential to transform lives.
We were also deeply honored to have PHA Canada and our advocates acknowledged in the legislature by Nina Tangri, John Fraser, France Gélinas, and Monique Taylor. Their recognition reinforces the importance of our work and shines a spotlight on the challenges faced by the pulmonary arterial hypertension community.
Together, we’re making sure that PAH patients’ voices are heard and that timely access to innovative treatments remains a priority. Thank you to our incredible advocates and the officials who took the time to listen and support this critical cause.
2024 advocacy efforts
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Since 2015, our #TakeActionPAH campaign has been advocating for publicly funded access to all Health Canada-approved treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension. We continue to be concerned about disparities that exist in the quality of care PAH patients may receive depending on what province or territory they live in or whether they have private insurance.
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PHA Canada is the link between your voice and decision makers. By continuing to advocate for patients, we are trying to ensure that any changes to complicated regulatory processes will not negatively impact patients’ ability to access new therapies in the future.
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Read PHA Canada’s submissions to Canada’s Drug Agency
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Read PHA Canada’s latest submissions to the Patented Medicines Pricing Review Board (PMPRB):
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