The European Medicines Agency approves RoACTEMRA® to treat children with PJIA. RoACTEMRA® is known as Actemra® outside of EU.
Just last month, the biologic drug tocilizumab (Actemra®) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). RoACTEMRA® is used to treat children who lives with polyarticular junvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA), a rare and chronic form of childhood arthritis. The drug is designed for children two years old and older who are unresponsive to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug such as methotrexate (MTX).
PJIA, or juvenile idiopathic polyarthritis, is a form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), also known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Thirty percent of the 100 in 100,000 children affected with JIA lives with PJIA. The disease causes inflammation in five or more joints within the first six months of the disease. Specifically, it affects the small joints in the body, such as those in the hands and feet.
Certolizumab pegol (Cimzia®) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has newly been listed for coverage on Prince Edward Island’s formulary, under the High Cost Drug Program.
Now there are more treatment options available in PEI, which is important because every patient responds differently to disease suppressing or modifying medications.
Certolizumab pegol is a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It is an anti-TNF medication taken by subcutaneous injection every two weeks (200mg/mL pre-filled syringe).
To learn if certolizumab pegol or other rheumatoid arthritis treatment may be helpful to you, please speak to your rheumatologist or other healthcare provider who is helping you to manage your disease.
Click here to view the most up-to-date version of ACE’s Report Card on provincial formulary reimbursement listings for biologic response modifiers.
As of this month, it has become easier to get access to tocilizumab (Actemra®) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Alberta.
Tocilizumab was first added to the provincial medication reimbursement plan in July 2011, making it available to people on a case-by-case basis.
Until now Arthritis Consumer Experts has viewed the criteria as overly restrictive because of the number of medications a person with RA has to trial and fail before being granted the option to take tocilizumab and be reimbursed for its cost. Continue reading →
Terry Roycroft, president and CEO of Medicinal Cannabis Resource Centre Inc. (MCRCI), was at the 21st Annual Rural and Remote Medicine Course “Sea To Sea To Sea” to raise awareness amongst physicians. In this video, he tells ABN about the many reasons he was there, including:
To spread information about medicinal cannabis.
To explain how Health Canada’s medicinal cannabis program works.
To talk about pain management for arthritis.
To inform physicians about a clinical trial for a topical pain treatment.
To learn more about this event, please click here.
Meet Dr. Lori Tucker. She is a pediatric rheumatologist — a doctor who treats and cares for kids with arthritis — with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital. While at the 2013 Canadian Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific Meeting recently, the Arthritis Broadcast Network (ABN) interviewed her, as well as several other rheumatologists (arthritis specialists). In this video Dr. Tucker speaks about the pharmacist’s role in arthritis healthcare in Canada. Also she talks about the transition from pediatric care to adult care for teens with arthritis.
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 →
Just last month, the biologic drug tocilizumab (Actemra®) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). RoACTEMRA® is used to treat children who lives with polyarticular junvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA), a rare and chronic form of childhood arthritis. The drug is designed for children two years old and older who are unresponsive to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug such as methotrexate (MTX).
