A British Columbia provincial policy that forced people with chronic illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis to switch to cheaper medications saved the province more than $730-million over five years, according to a new government report.
The B.C. government said Friday that the money freed up through its biosimilar switching plan allowed the province to expand public coverage of other drugs and devices, including Trikafta, a life-changing treatment for cystic fibrosis and continuous glucose monitors for people with diabetes.
FYI in the U.S. because of some patent shenanigans, biosimilars are not available until 2029. The current cost is $2200 per week.
Even accounting for exchange rates etc that is insane. With my numbers I’d be paying $78k annually just for my medication. Bitch I don’t even earn that much in a year!
Ecit: heh I’m pretty salty about this one I guess but pharmaceutical pricing for biologics is ridiculous, and I think its outrageous to push the burden onto people who are chronically sick. Fuck that.