Penticton resident and diabetic Garry Fawcett, 68, said a new medication has changed his life.
The catch is, it isn’t covered by Pharmacare in British Columbia.
Fawcett said after experiencing unpleasant side-effects from other drugs, he switched to a new medication called Jardiance.
“It’s a quantity for 90 days which costs $270.69 cents. I take one pill a day,” Fawcett said from his home on Wednesday.
The pill regulates blood sugar and reduces the risk of cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes.
“I’ve had no ill effects, no side effects, and it’s dropped my average sugar level from almost 8 to 6.5 in three months, and that’s how valuable this drug is,” Fawcett said.
The Ministry of Health said in a statement it is reviewing Jardiance to determine if it should be covered by Pharmacare and will review the drug’s efficiency, cost effectiveness, and safety.
The Canadian Diabetes Association said while other diabetes medication is covered, it’s advocating for Jardiance to also get the green light.
“It’s a problem when drugs become available and approved by Health Canada to be used in the country but it takes the provinces longer to review and decide whether they will be listed on the public plan, so that limits the accessibility and increases the time that patients have to wait for access to these treatments that can help them manage their conditions and prevent complications,” said Dr. Seema Nagpal, Epidemiologist with the Canadian Diabetes Association.
Fawcett acknowledged he should live a healthier lifestyle but says his world has been turned upside down since his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“I’m not eating like I should so that’s my fault but this pill sort of helps that,” he said.
The pharmaceutical company said the drug is already covered in all other provinces.
Fawcett said waiting for it to happen here is a hard pill to swallow