First-Line Osteoporosis Therapy Receives General Benefit Status on the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary

TORONTO, June 4 /CNW/ - ACTONEL(R) (risedronate sodium tablets), a drug
indicated for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis, has been moved
from Limited Use to General Benefit status on the Ontario Drug Benefit
Formulary (ODBF). This means osteoporosis patients covered by the Ontario Drug
Benefit plan will now have unrestricted access to Actonel. In the past, unless
patients (seniors with no private coverage or those on fixed incomes) met
restrictive criteria, they might have needed to pay out-of-pocket for Actonel,
despite it being recommended by Osteoporosis Canada's clinical practice
guidelines(1) as a first line treatment for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis affects as many as 530,000 Ontarians, resulting in more than
57,000 osteoporosis-related fractures, 68,000 emergency department visits,
62,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths each and every year. The resulting
cost to the health care system is as high as $500-million in hospitalization
and long-term care.(2)

"Fracture prevention is the goal of osteoporosis management, and having
access to a first line therapy such as Actonel, with proven fracture
prevention as early as six months is good news for Ontario osteoporosis
patients," says Dr. Rick Adachi, Professor in the Department of Medicine at
McMaster University and rheumatologist at St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton.

In clinical trials, Actonel has been found to reduce the risk of
vertebral(3),(4) and nonvertebral fractures(3), including those at the hip.(5)
In analyses of the clinical trial data, fracture protection with Actonel was
seen as early as six months(6),(7) and the findings of the recently published
RisedronatE and ALendronate (REAL) cohort study,(8) a large retrospective
study that measured fracture incidence in over 33,000 postmenopausal women
receiving one of the two most popular osteoporosis drugs, were consistent with
these analyses.

"This General Benefit listing is great news for physicians and patients.
It is consistent with the Ontario Ministry of Health's Osteoporosis Strategy
and provides better access to effective first line therapies recommended by
evidence-based guidelines" says Dr. Famida Jiwa, Acting President & CEO of
Osteoporosis Canada. "Improving access to effective therapies allows
physicians to prescribe therapy that meets the unique needs of patients
without being restricted by drug plan status. This is an important step in
reducing the burden of osteoporosis, both on patients and on the healthcare
system overall."

The Osteoporosis Action Plan: An Osteoporosis Strategy for Ontario (a
report of the Osteoporosis Action Plan committee submitted to the Ontario
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care), states that if more people with
osteoporosis had better access to effective therapies, Ontario would be able
to reduce the number of fractures and increase the quality of life for
thousands.(9) The Transparent Drug System for Patients Act (Bill 102) calls
for the elimination of the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) plan's Limited Use
listings, which provides only restricted access to therapies like Actonel.
Reforming the drug system is part of the government's effort to improve access
to therapies needed by Ontario patients to live healthier, longer lives.

"All patients should have access to the medicine their doctor thinks best
suits their individual needs," says Roza Taca, osteoporosis patient. "When I
was diagnosed with osteoporosis five years ago, my doctor essentially had only
one choice of treatment that was covered by the government plan. This new
listing means doctors have more choices, and that means patients get better
care." 

osteoporosis prevention