Manitoba Health will soon provide funding for Lucentis, a treatment used to prevent and reverse eye damage, through a centralized vision program, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced.
“Manitoba is proud to add Lucentis coverage through a new and accessible program, starting June 1,” said Oswald. “This means that Manitobans who are prescribed Lucentis will be able to access this important treatment with no deductible and at no cost, the most affordable approach available to people across the country.”
Wet macular degeneration is a disease that can impair vision and cause blindness. All retinal specialists in the province will now be able to prescribe Lucentis through a program operating out of the Misericordia Eye Care Centre of Excellence. This centralized approach is used for other wet macular degeneration treatments and will make the treatment more accessible while minimizing costs. It will also ensure the drug, which must be injected into the eye by trained specialists, will be used and administered properly.
“Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness for people over 50,” said CNIB executive director Delcy-Ann Selymes. “This important treatment will help to maintain the quality of life and independence of so many older Manitobans. We are delighted it will be fully covered.”
The minister also announced the province began providing financial coverage for additional drugs through the Manitoba Pharmacare Program this February including:
• Xarelto, used to reduce the risk of blood clots in patients who have undergone a hip or knee replacement;
• Celsentri, used for the treatment of HIV;
• Ciprodex, used for the treatment of serious middle-ear infections in children with ear tubes;
• Risperdal Consta, used for the treatment of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders; and
• EZ Health Oracle Test Strips, designed to be used by diabetic patients who are visually impaired.
“Manitoba continues to look for innovative ways to save on prescription drug costs and we’re seeing strong results through our successful generic drug price policies,” said Oswald. “For example, the province will save millions of dollars annually by expanding coverage to include the generic version of the drug Norvasc and achieving the lowest price in Canada.”
Amlodipine is the generic of Norvasc, the most commonly used drug in the world to treat hypertension. Manitoba Health has successfully achieved a lower public price for Amlodipine than was offered in earlier proposals. More than 30,000 Manitobans are expected to benefit from this discount, the lowest price in the country, Oswald said. She also said the prices negotiated by Manitoba Health for generic drugs benefit all Manitobans, whether they receive benefits through pharmacare or not.
“An additional 87 generic drugs have also been added to the list of drugs approved for coverage in Manitoba, creating further drug-cost savings,” the minister said. “Savings generated through the generic drug price policy framework are reinvested into pharmacare to expand the number of drugs covered and to keep the program affordable for Manitoba families.”
The province has added nearly 2,500 new drugs to the approved pharmacare list since 1999 to meet the health needs of Manitobans, the minister said. The average annual benefit paid to pharmacare recipients has more than doubled in that time to
$2,743 last year. Pharmacare coverage has been extended to an additional 25,000 Manitoba families since 1999.
The Manitoba Pharmacare Program drug benefit program is available for any Manitoban whose income is seriously affected by high prescription drug costs. Pharmacare covers 100 per cent of eligible drug costs once the annual income-based deductible is reached, regardless of age or medical condition.
