Why doesn’t B.C. cover medications other provinces do? Group calls for changes

A group advocating for patients is asking why B.C. is behind other provinces on making sure residents have access to some prescription medications.

With a provincial election set for this year, the Gastrointestinal Society is urging the government to “make a public commitment to providing public coverage for all patients.”

According to GI Society President Gail Attara, B.C. rejected coverage of 31 medications between 2018 and 2022 — medications that are covered by most other provinces.

“For it to be 31 is outrageous,” Attara told CityNews Wednesday.

She explains the drugs cover “all different therapeutic areas,” including dermatitis, migraines, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia.

In Ontario and Alberta, she says the provinces only declined coverage for two or three of those same drugs in the same timeframe.

“The bottom line is that British Columbia isn’t covering medications that the rest of Canada is covering and it’s inequitable for patients who live in British Columbia,” she explained.

“Drugs in Canada go through a lengthy process to be approved by Health Canada and then they go through other various health technology assessments to be able to market those drugs in Canada. All these processes are national … So what’s happening is Canada gets together to approve and regulate and negotiate prices on drugs, and they come to agreements that these medications will be covered. But B.C. decides they’re just not going to do that even though the rest of Canada does.”

Attara says these are “unique drugs” that help Canadians deal with conditions like short bowel syndrome, which affects 32 kids in B.C. and prevents their bodies from absorbing enough nutrients.

“They can’t digest anything, some of these kids can’t even have a drop of water. They have to have everything through intravenous or a feeding program … They fail to thrive, they’re not nourished, and yet, if they get the medication, the medication helps their digestive tract grow, and so then they can absorb nutrition and be able to live a normal kind of life,” Attara explained.

“The B.C. government will not cover this medication, and it’s a Canadian invention — it’s used all over the world.”

The society is asking B.C. to come in line with other provinces and provide coverage for critical medications.

Attara adds doing so will even help with the health-care crisis, saying when British Columbians can treat their conditions with the right medications, they’re less likely to end up in hospital.

“To deny these medications is actually counterintuitive because it makes the costs in other parts of health care rise. If B.C. would just recognize the inequity that they’re doing here with drug coverage, it will actually save them money in the long run because the other services are very expensive,” she said.

B.C. PharmaCare ‘one of the most generous drug coverage programs in Canada’: Ministry of Health

In a statement to CityNews on April 15, the Ministry of Health says the government “recognizes the importance of ensuring that British Columbians have access to the important medications they need to manage their health conditions.”

A spokesperson says B.C. became the first province to provide full coverage of prescription contraceptives to residents in 2023, adding that year, it also became the first to “provide 100% coverage of opioid agonist treatment for all residents.”

“In B.C., we have income-based Fair Pharmacare, which provides universal coverage for residents,” the ministry spokesperson explained in the statement.

“In 2018, the Government invested $105 million to eliminate or reduce PharmaCare deductibles for working families with the lowest incomes in the province. These were the first changes to deductibles since 2003.”

The spokesperson continues by describing the program as “one of the most generous drug coverage programs in Canada,” noting many plans provide full coverage, “which is taken into consideration when potentially adding new drugs to the PharmaCare formulary.”

“PharmaCare covers the full cost of many pharmacy services, such as adapting prescriptions, assessing and prescribing for 20 minor ailments, and medication reviews. These can reduce inefficient medication use, for health and safety reasons,” the email reads.

The Ministry of Health spokesperson says the GI Society’s report “identifies several drugs as non-benefits that PharmaCare actually does cover or is reviewing,” including Cysteamine, Lurasidone, and Tazarotene.

According to the ministry, B.C. has a review process that must be followed before a drug is covered by the PharmaCare program.

It adds a number of details are considered to determine whether the program should invest in funding new therapies.

The Ministry of Health notes that while there is a federal process to review and negotiate prices for new drugs, each provincial and territorial jurisdiction is responsible for funding decisions based on their systems’ needs.

The ministry says if there is a case where a particular drug isn’t covered by the PharmaCare program, the province may cover a clinically equivalent alternative.