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otter@lemmy.ca

Policy that forced patients to switch to cheaper medications saved B.C. $730-million, report says (www.theglobeandmail.com)

submitted 5 months ago by otter@lemmy.ca to c/medicine@lemmy.ca

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A British Columbia provincial policy that forced people with chronic illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis to switch to cheaper medications saved the province more than $730-million over five years, according to a new government report.

The B.C. government said Friday that the money freed up through its biosimilar switching plan allowed the province to expand public coverage of other drugs and devices, including Trikafta, a life-changing treatment for cystic fibrosis and continuous glucose monitors for people with diabetes.

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[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 1 points 5 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

A British Columbia provincial policy that forced people with chronic illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis to switch to cheaper medications saved the province more than $730-million over five years, according to a new government report.

government said Friday that the money freed up through its biosimilar switching plan allowed the province to expand public coverage of other drugs and devices, including Trikafta, a life-changing treatment for cystic fibrosis and continuous glucose monitors for people with diabetes.

“When this policy was introduced, it was highly controversial,” said Michael Law, a University of British Columbia professor who holds a Canada Research Chair in Access to Medicines.

Biosimilars are near-copies of the original, brand-name versions of biologics, a class of drugs manufactured from living cells.

As the first biologics came off patent, Health Canada began approving biosimilars that were almost like generics but were treated differently in practice and policy.

Biosimilars aren’t interchangeable at the pharmacy, which means doctors must write new prescriptions for the less-expensive product.

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