Lucentis Recommended by Federal Common Drug Review

By Paddy Kamen

Following on the publication of the article, Drug Access for AMD Sparks Controversy, in our March-April 2008 issue, the federal government’s Common Drug Review recommended that Lucentis™ be covered under provincial and territorial health plans.

According to Dr. Keith Gordon, Health of Research for the CNIB: "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. 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."

Lucentis was developed by Genentech and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. It has already been added to the provincial drug plans of Ontario and Quebec. Dr. Alan Cruess, is professor and head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Dalhousie University and President of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. He hopes that other provinces and territories will accept the CDR’s recommendation and add Lucentis to their formularies.

"We hope that all patients suffering from wet AMD will be able to benefit from this unique treatment as soon as possible before the disease has progressed and has a major impact on their vision."

Lucentis is the first and only approved treatment clinically proven to offer wet AMD patients significant vision gains. Designed specifically for use in the eye and administered by injection into the eye, Lucentis helps to stabilize or improve patients' vision loss which, in turn, can increase their independence and ability to perform activities requiring central vision such as seeing faces, reading and driving.

Please note:

The primary article published in the March-April issue of Vision Magazine contained an error. Roche Canada spokesperson Jessica McBay was quoted as saying, “We’re concerned with Avastin’s use for oncology patients.” The correct quote should be, “We’re concentrating on Avastin’s use with oncology patients.” Vision Magazine apologizes for this error.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2008/28/c8223.html
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2008/28/c8121.html