JointHealth™ express June 17, 2008
Great news for people living with ankylosing spondylitis (AS): the government of Alberta today announced that etanercept (Enbrel®) and adalimumab (Humira®) will be added to the provincial medication reimbursement formulary for the treatment of AS. Previously, the government had declined to list etanercept, and adalimumab had been under review for nearly a year and a half, so this is a tremendous step forward.
Countless individuals and organizations across the country have written letters to the Alberta government, and we are pleased that the voice of arthritis has been heard.
While this is great news, the Alberta government has still failed to list infliximab (Remicade®) for the treatment of AS. People who depend on the provincial medication reimbursement plan should have access to the full arsenal of treatment options, and so ACE will be calling on government to list infliximab on the provincial medication formulary alongside etanercept and adalimumab for the treatment of AS.
We urge you to write to the government of Alberta, thanking them for making this decision and asking them to list infliximab as well. Remind the government that each arthritis patient is unique, and that different medications work best for different people.
Great news for people living with ankylosing spondylitis (AS): the government of Alberta today announced that etanercept (Enbrel®) and adalimumab (Humira®) will be added to the provincial medication reimbursement formulary for the treatment of AS. Previously, the government had declined to list etanercept, and adalimumab had been under review for nearly a year and a half, so this is a tremendous step forward.
Countless individuals and organizations across the country have written letters to the Alberta government, and we are pleased that the voice of arthritis has been heard.
While this is great news, the Alberta government has still failed to list infliximab (Remicade®) for the treatment of AS. People who depend on the provincial medication reimbursement plan should have access to the full arsenal of treatment options, and so ACE will be calling on government to list infliximab on the provincial medication formulary alongside etanercept and adalimumab for the treatment of AS.
We urge you to write to the government of Alberta, thanking them for making this decision and asking them to list infliximab as well. Remind the government that each arthritis patient is unique, and that different medications work best for different people.
Arthritis Consumer Experts
ACE thanks Arthritis Research Canada (ARC) for its scientific review of ACE and JointHealth™ information and education programs.