NEWS FILE PHOTO Nicole Miller, Redcliff resident, believes the government's decision to use biosimilar prescription drugs should have been left to the physicians treating patients like her with ulcerative colitis.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
The health minister’s decision to use biosimilar prescription drugs in Alberta has a Redcliff resident with ulcerative colitis concerned that it is no longer a physician making that call.
Other than pregnant women and children, anyone who depends on Blue Cross prescription coverage and is prescribed a biologic drug has six months to transition to the biosimilar version, the government announced.
“The biosimilar policy enables government to continue providing Albertans with the best possible treatment options, but at a lower cost. Over the next four years, this initiative will save us between $227 million and $380 million once fully implemented. These savings will go back into the health system to help ensure we can provide the high-quality care Albertans deserve,” said Tyler Shandro, minister of health.
Nicole Miller currently has private prescription coverage but says that does not mean she will not have to depend on Blue Cross in future. She is also concerned for those who currently depend on Blue Cross.
“I just believe it isn’t the right of a government to dictate what medicine you can and can’t have,” said Miller.
Dr. Remo Panaccione, an expert in irritable bowel disease at the University of Calgary met with Shandro and has publicly stated there are about 2,300 Albertans currently taking biologics to treat Crohn’s. He said there is research to show that switching them to biosimilars can be harmful.
Miller’s symptoms began in 2013 and it took a couple years before finding a drug that worked for her – Entyvio. She says if this had not worked she would have faced having part of her bowel removed.
She says if taken off a drug like Entyvio and given a biosimilar that does not work, you cannot then return to Entyvio.
Every eight weeks Miller receives Entyvio through an IV infusion. She has private prescription coverage that pays 90 per cent of the cost. The 10 per cent she pays totals $600 every eight weeks.
The health minister says if there is a medical reason that prevents a patient from switching to biosimilar, a physician may apply for a medical exception. All exception requests will be peer-reviewed by a team of physician specialists.
Miller says there are more than 25,000 people in Alberta with Crohn’s and colitis and there is the potential for so much to go wrong if the drugs are changed. She would have preferred the government require only new patients to start using biosimilars, which over time would reduce the overall cost.
The health ministry says the cost of biologic drugs has increased from $21 million to $238 million in the past 10 years. It says biologics account for 19 per cent of the total drug plan budget to cover two per cent of patients. Biosimilars can cost about 50 per cent less than biologics.
Health Canada has stated there are no differences in safety or efficacy between biosimilar and biologic drugs.
