Ontario Public Drug Program

Ontario Update   The Annual Report Card for the Ontario Drug Benefit Program for their 2015/16 fiscal year has been released. The Report Card provides an overview of the year including financial indicators, cost trends, formulary process & listing times and highlights the Program’s milestones and achievements. We have included some of the key highlights below: Total health expenditures in Ontario in 2015 were $55B Drugs accounted for 8.8% of…

Ontario Update   The Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) Formulary / Comparative Drug Index (Formulary) has been updated and becomes effective April 27, 2017. The highlights are noted below: New Limited Use (LU) products: Entresto (sacubitril & valsartan) for the treatment of heart failure (Novartis) Creon Minimicrospheres (pancrelipase) as replacement therapy for pancreatic insufficiency (BGP Pharma) Product with revised Limited Use criteria: Brilinta (ticagrelor) for treatment of myocardial infarctions or unstable…

The pCPA has completed negotiations with 3 manufacturers of drugs used to treat Hepatitis C   The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), in its first stand-alone statement, announced on February 21, 2017 that they have successfully negotiated agreements with Gilead, Merck, and Bristol Myers Squibb. There is one notable absence from this list - that of the 4th manufacturer of hepatitis C drugs, Abbvie who manufactures Holkira and Technivie.   These…

Ontario Update   Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) Formulary / Comparative Drug Index (Formulary) has been updated and becomes effective February 28, 2017.   See Ontario's Drug Benefit Formulary   New Single Source Drug Products   Daklinza (daclatasvir) 30mg, 60mg Tab (BMS) Epclusa (sofosbuvir / velpatasvir) 400mg/100mg Tab (GIL) Sunvepra (asunaprevir) 100mg Tab (BMS) Zepatier (elbasvir / grazoprevir) 50mg/100mg Tab (MEK)   Transition from Exceptional Access Program (EAP) to Limited Use…