Manitoba families will have more access to the medication they need as the result of the addition of 153 new drugs to the provincial pharmacare formulary effective Jan. 21, which will lower prescription drug costs and provide more treatment options for patients and health-care providers. This announcement was made by Health Minister Theresa Oswald.
“Helping Manitobans get the medication they need has been a priority for our government. By adding these drugs to the formulary, we are offering more choice and significant savings to families dealing with a broad range of serious medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, colitis and Crohn’s disease,” said Oswald. “The additions include many generic versions of prescription drugs, which will save money for Manitoba families and reduce provincial drug costs by $2.9 million.”
Drugs being added include:
- Brilinta for reducing the risk of heart attack
- Mezavant for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
- Protopic for the treatment of moderate to severe eczema
- Uloric for the treatment of gout
- Vimpat for the treatment of partial-onset epileptic seizures
- Complera for HIV therapy
“Our pharmacare program is nationally recognized and we continue to build on past successes in adding generic medications at competitive prices,” said the minister. “According to the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, generic drugs accounted for 65.1 per cent of prescriptions in Manitoba in 2011, the highest use of generics in Canada.”
Pharmacare is a universal, comprehensive prescription drug program for Manitobans with benefits based on family income. It covers 100 per cent of eligible drug costs, once the income-based deductible is reached, regardless of medical condition or age.
For more information on the Manitoba Pharmacare Program, visit www.gov.mb.ca/health/pharmacare.
