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JointHealth™ express   January 9, 2014

Let BCPharmaCare hear “Your Voice” on golimumab

BC PharmaCare is looking for your input on golimumab for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Golimumab (Simponi®) is now being considered for coverage under the British Columbia Ministry of Health’s PharmaCare program. By filling out a questionnaire on a website called Your Voice, you can provide feedback about golimumab (Simponi®) for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC).

You can give input if you are:
  • A B.C. resident and have ulcerative colitis
  • A caregiver to someone with UC
  • If your group represents people who live with UC
The input is reviewed by the Drug Benefit Council, which then gives recommendations on whether a medication should be covered, and how, by BC PharmaCare. BC PharmaCare then makes a decision based on those recommendations and available resources. Policies and plans already in place also factor in the decision making process.

It is an opportunity for you to share your perspectives on medication decisions that affect you or someone you provide care for.

Please click here to let BC PharmaCare hear Your Voice. Or, go to the following links:
  • To view the information sheet for golimumab: click here
  • For the Patient Questionnaire: click here
  • For the Caregiver Questionnaire: click here
  • For the Patient Group Questionnaire: click here (Patient groups are required to register their name with the Ministry of Health before making their submission.)
Your input as a patient, caregiver, and/or patient group is essential to a full and fair review of the medication.

The submission deadline is midnight on January 16, 2014. Patients and caregivers may give their input directly though the links above. Alternatively, you can email us your input at feedback@jointhealth.org or call us at 604-974-1366. We can send it as a patient group on your behalf. Please provide your input to us by Wednesday, January 15 so that we may submit the questionnaire in time for the deadline.

About golimumab
Golimumab is a human monoclonal antibody to TNF alpha. Health Canada has approved golimumab for use in combination with methotrexate to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis.

In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved golimumab for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in adult patients. The symptoms of UC have a strong association with seronegative spondylarthropathies, which include diseases such as psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.