CNIB Applauds Common Drug Review Recommendation for Lucentis
TORONTO – Canada’s Common Drug Review (CDR) announced today its recommendation that the breakthrough treatment Lucentis be covered under provincial and territorial health plans, potentially saving the sight of tens of thousands of Canadians. This brings Canada one step closer to providing all Canadians with access to the first and only treatment clinically proven in many cases to reverse the damage caused by wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
“On behalf of CNIB and all Canadians living with AMD, I would like to applaud the Common Drug Review for recommending Lucentis,” said Jim Sanders, President and CEO of CNIB. “Canada has just taken a step in the right direction for vision care in this country; it’s now up to individual provincial and territorial health ministers to take the final leap.”
Although CDR’s recommendation was positive, it also included suggested restrictions including that Lucentis should not be funded in combination with verteporfin (Visudyne) and that drug plan coverage should be limited to a maximum of 15 vials per patient used to treat the better seeing affected eye. CNIB understands the need for criteria to balance the economic impact of including a treatment in government health plans, but also urges the provincial and territorial health ministers to consider coverage of the treatment for people who get wet AMD in both eyes when their sight can be saved.
“The Common Drug Review did its homework and obviously was as convinced as we are that Lucentis is a highly effective drug with the potential to save the Canadian health care system in both direct and indirect costs and prevent people from needlessly going blind,” said Dr. Keith Gordon, Head of Research for CNIB. “We are very hopeful that the provinces and territories will interpret the recommendation with an understanding that a person’s sight should be saved in both eyes.”
The CDR process was created in 2002 to assess new prescription drugs for Canada’s provincial and territorial drug plans (excluding Quebec). The role of the CDR is to review the clinical results and cost effectiveness of prescription drugs to provide coverage recommendations. In 90 per cent of cases, provincial and territorial drug plans follow CDR’s advice and cover the cost of recommended drugs.
It is now up to individual provinces and territories to take the final step and make Lucentis available to all Canadians. Lucentis has already been approved for reimbursement in Canada’s two largest provinces: Quebec approved the treatment in 2007, and in the fall of 2007, the Government of Ontario placed Lucentis under its rapid review process, recognizing its potential benefit to patients. Recently on March 13, it announced Lucentis would be added to Ontario’s public drug programs.
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