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Ministry of Health adds more treatment options for chronic conditions to PharmaCare program

British Columbians living with certain chronic conditions will now have access to more treatment options, the Ministry of Health announced today.

People with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and severe asthma will be able to better manage their health with the addition of seven limited coverage drugs in the PharmaCare Special Authority program.

The added drugs include:

* Glatiramer acetate (Glatect) and rituximab (Rituxan) for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis;

* Rotigotine (Neupro) for the treatment of advanced stage Parkinson's;

* Mepolizumab (Nucala) for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma; and

* Ezetimibe (Ezetrol) and evolocumab (Repatha) for the treatment of high cholesterol (heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia).

Coverage criteria was also expanded for:

* The Parkinson's treatments pramipexole and ropinirole;

* Hepatitis B treatments tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and entecavir (Baraclude); and

* Vancomycin (Vancocin) for the treatment of colitis.

Duloxetine is now also a limited coverage drug for all PharmaCare plans. Duloxetine treats neuropathic pain and was previously only available to Plan P patients. Plan P is PharmaCare's palliative-care drug plan.

“It is anticipated that approximately 4,900 British Columbians will benefit from these listings and coverage expansions over the next three years,” said the ministry in a release.

The estimated overall cost to add these drugs is roughly $11.8 million over the same timeframe.

Patients requiring limited coverage drugs typically do not respond to first-line treatment or more affordable options, the ministry said. Therefore, not all patients with a condition will be eligible for or need a limited coverage drug, which is why coverage is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

To receive coverage for limited coverage drugs, a patient's health-care provider must submit a Special Authority form to PharmaCare. Requests are then reviewed to determine if the limited coverage drug is the best option for the patient.



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