June 6, 2007
Ontarians gain increased access to
treatment
Risedronate (Actonel®), one of the medications
recommended by Osteoporosis Canada's clinical practice guidelines for the
treatment and prevention of osteoporosis, has been moved from Limited Use to
General Benefit status on the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary (ODBF). This means
osteoporosis patients covered by the Ontario Drug Benefit plan will now have
unrestricted access to risedronate.
In the past, unless patients covered by the Ontario's
Drug Benefit plan met restrictive criteria, they might have needed to pay
out-of-pocket for this medication. This is the second, first-line treatment,
recently moved to General Benefit status on the ODBF; alendronate (Fosamax®,
Fosavance® and generic products), were added late last year.
Osteoporosis affects as many as
530,000 Ontarians, resulting in more than 57,000 osteoporosis-related fractures, 68,000 emergency department
visits, 62,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths each and every year. The resulting
cost to the health care system is as high as $500-million in
hospitalization and long-term care.
"Fracture prevention is the goal of
osteoporosis management, and having access to a first line
therapy such as Actonel, with proven fracture prevention as early as six
months is good news for Ontario osteoporosis patients," says Dr. Rick Adachi,
Professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University and rheumatologist at
St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton.
"This General Benefit listing is great news for
physicians and patients. It is consistent with the Ontario Ministry of Health's
Osteoporosis Strategy and provides better access to effective first line
therapies recommended by evidence-based guidelines," says Dr. Famida Jiwa, Interim President
& CEO of Osteoporosis Canada. "Improving access to effective
therapies allows physicians to prescribe therapy that meets the unique needs of
patients without being restricted by drug plan status. This is an important
step in reducing the burden of osteoporosis, both on patients and on
the healthcare system overall."
As a national organization, Osteoporosis Canada strives
to improve access to evidence-based therapies for all Canadians with
osteoporosis.
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