By Sarah Klein
The Manitoba government has added 153 new drugs to be covered by the provincial pharmacare program.
Health Minister Theresa Oswald says the province will save $2.9 million annually by the move, which will reduce prescription drug costs and provide more treatment options for patients and health-care providers.
“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,” Oswald said.
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
