As of this month, British Columbian children who live with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) will be able to access tocilizumab (Actemra®) through the province’s public formulary.
This is good news because tocilizumab is the first biological response modifier (“biologic”) that specifically treats sJIA, so kids in BC now have a treatment option where none in this class of medication existed before. Continue reading
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDMS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease affecting approximately three in one million children.
Autoimmune diseases generally occur when the body’s immune system begins to malfunction and attack healthy tissue in various parts of the body, causing inflammation and damage. In dermatomyositis, muscle and skin are attacked by inflammation, but the joints, lungs, heart, and intestinal tract can also be affected.
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Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is chronic inflammatory arthritis developing in children under the age of 16 years. Previously called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis strikes up to one in 1000 children and is one of the most common chronic diseases among children.
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On July 19, 2012, the Common Drug Review (CDR) recommended that when people do not have private insurance coverage, provincial drug plans cover the cost of tocilizumab (Actemra®) for the treatment of active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) in children over the age of two. Click here to read the complete Common Drug Review recommendations and reasons. Continue reading
Do you live with juvenile idiopathic arthritis or have a child who does? Do you care for someone, or does your organization represent people, with this medical condition? You can provide feedback to British Columbia’s Ministry of Health about tocilizumab (Actemra®), for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in children 2 years of age or older, via a website called Your Voice.
Through this website, patients, caregivers, and patient groups can add their voices to the BC PharmaCare drug review process by filling out an online questionnaire.
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, your child, or someone you provide care for.
Please click here to let BC PharmaCare hear Your Voice. Or, go to the following links:
The submission deadline is midnight on Thursday, September 13, 2012.
In honour of Arthritis Awareness Month, the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada (ARC) is releasing a second series of web videos. As part of ARC’s commitment to finding answers for people living with arthritis, each video outlines a study and its impact. This week’s featured video is The Impact of Arthritis on Mothers.
People living with arthritis have difficulties with everyday activities including caring for their children. Dr. Catherine Backman, Research Scientist with the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, studied the impact of arthritis on mothers including fatigue, financial challenges and the lack of appropriate services. She found that despite these challenges, they experienced the same joy and satisfaction as mothers without arthritis.
Enjoy the video and please share it with moms, your friends and family. When you tweet, please use the Twitter hashtag #arthritisawarenessmonth. Here is the link to the video located on the ARC website.
