A Langley man with a rare type of kidney disease is suing the provincial government, saying it took too long to approve his treatment with a new type of drug.
Paul Chung is suing the province, saying it violated his charter rights to “life, liberty, and security of the person.”
Chung was in his first year of university in August of 2017 when he was was diagnosed with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), which causes blood clots in small blood vessels. That can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and death.
In his notice of civil claim, filed with the B.C. Supreme Court registry on July 3, Chung said he is now permanently on kidney dialysis because the provincial government waited until November 2017 to approve his treatment with a new drug, Soliris, “a very expensive drug capable of curing or materially improving his serious blood disorder,” he sited in the suit.
READ MORE: Young Langley man’s life revolves around dialysis
After he was turned down, Chung waged a public campaign to convince the government to cover the cost of the new drug treatment.
By the time the province approved a three-month trial, the Chung claim stated, he was suffering from internal bleeding that required surgery.
“The decision was too little, too late for the plaintiff [Chung] as Soliris must be administered promptly after diagnosis to be effective.”
During that time, the lawsuit maintains that other B.C. patients with the same condition recovered because they were given Soliris within four to eight weeks of their first diagnosis.
Chung remains on dialysis, unable to work or attend school, the claim stated.
Denying Chung coverage was, under the circumstances, “grossly disproportionate and unreasonable under any public interest calculus,” the lawsuit stated.
Langley Advance Times has reached out to the provincial government and Chung for comment.
• Stay tuned for more…
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Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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