Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma, migraines and high blood pressure are among those who will benefit from improved health and quality of life through access to eight new drugs under PharmaCare, announced Health Minister George Abbott.
August 19, 2005
VICTORIA – Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma, migraines and high blood pressure are among those who will benefit from improved health and quality of life through access to eight new drugs under PharmaCare, announced Health Minister George Abbott.
“We are committed to providing British Columbians with effective, sustainable access to the drugs they need. Our PharmaCare program is one of the most comprehensive publicly funded drug benefit programs in the country,” said Abbott. “Our decisions about drug coverage are based on compelling scientific evidence that clearly shows a medication is safe, cost-effective and improves patient outcomes.”
In the last month, PharmaCare listed the following prescription medications for coverage:
- Humira, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
- Combigan, for glaucoma and ocular hypertension.
- Axert, for migraine.
- Teveten Plus, for high blood pressure.
- Avodart, for enlarged prostate (prostatic hyperplasia).
- VFEND, for invasive fungal infections in immune-compromised patients.
- Keppra, for epilepsy.
- Xalacom, for glaucoma and ocular hypertension.
PharmaCare estimates that more than 10,000 patients will receive coverage for these drugs in 2006.
“Humira, like Enbrel and Remicade, can make a huge difference in a patient’s quality of life, with quite dramatic effects,” said Dr. John Esdaile, scientific director of the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada and a professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia. “B.C. really led the country in approving this class of drugs, and deserves a lot of credit for looking at the big picture – because drugs like Humira not only help patients with rheumatoid arthritis get better, but also help them get back to work.”
“Glaucoma is a thief that gradually steals the vision,” said Dr. Margaret Kilshaw, a Victoria ophthalmologist. “We’re very lucky nowadays to have treatments like Combigan and Xalacom. They are very effective in controlling the eye pressure, are simple to use and have fewer side effects – so patients are more likely to keep using them. This can have a huge impact, particularly for elderly patients, who are more likely to keep their vision throughout their lives.”
Humira, Combigan, Axert, Teveten Plus, Avodart and VFEND were all recommended for coverage by the national Common Drug Review (CDR). The CDR examines new drug products and new chemical entities, and was modelled after B.C.’s formulary review process.
Keppra and Xalacom were submitted prior to the CDR’s inception in September 2003 and underwent a comprehensive review by the Therapeutics Initiative, an independent expert committee at the University of British Columbia.
PharmaCare reviewed the findings of the external reviews and concluded the evidence showed all eight drugs represented a therapeutic and cost-effective advantage.
“Because our policies are evidence-based, they are both good for patients and cost-effective,” said Abbott. “Given that increasing drug costs remain one of the greatest challenges to our health care budget, we base coverage on evidence – to ensure the drugs we fund are effective for the patients taking them and are the most cost-effective treatment option.”
Coverage for these eight new drugs is not expected to increase costs to PharmaCare. Several are either comparatively priced or slightly lower-priced than existing drugs also covered for the same conditions. This will offset the slight cost increase of the remainder.
“In B.C., we focus our PharmaCare resources on the drugs that are proven to work – as a result, we are in a position to offer funding for new drug therapies that can represent significant advances for patients,” said Abbott. “For example, all nine of the medications considered to be ‘breakthrough’ drugs in the past five years by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board are publicly funded in B.C.”
No prescription drug recommended for coverage by the Common Drug Review has been denied coverage in B.C. Of the 12 drugs that received a positive recommendation by the CDR, seven have been listed under PharmaCare and two are funded through the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Three CDR-recommended drugs are currently still under review by PharmaCare.
