Radicava (edaravone)
Help support timely, affordable and equitable access to proven ALS therapies
Radicava (edaravone) is one of only two drugs approved in Canada for ALS, and the first in almost 20 years. Yet, more than one year after its approval by Health Canada, and positive public funding recommendations from both the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) and l’Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) in Québec, Radicava is still not accessible through public reimbursement.
You can advocate your provincial government to voice the need for Radicava to be made accessible through public reimbursement.
What you can do:
Now that the manufacturer of Radicava has concluded negotiations with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), there is no reason for access to Radicava to be further delayed. But with no defined timeframe or transparency in the public reimbursement process, people living with ALS have no sense of how long they will have to wait to access to this drug through public reimbursement. Community advocacy efforts at the provincial level are vital in communicating the urgent unmet need for access to treatment within the ALS community.
Ask the Minister responsible for health in your province to take action!
Meet with your local representative and tell them affordable access to Radicava is needed now!
Download the toolkit for your province to get the tools you need to write your local elected official to request a meeting.
Provincial Reimbursement
The following provinces have made decisions regarding the public reimbursement of Radicava:
- Quebec: Yes, under the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) formulary (special authorization)
- Ontario: Yes, with criteria under the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary (Exceptional Access Program)
- Alberta: Yes, under the Alberta Drug Benefit List formulary (special authorization)
- New Brunswick: Yes, under the New Brunswick Drug Plan (NBDP) formulary (special authorization)
- Manitoba: Yes, under the Drug Benefits and Interchangeability Formulary (special authorization)
- Saskatchewan: Yes, under the Saskatchewan Formulary (special authorization)
- Nova Scotia: Yes, under the Nova Scotia Formulary (special authorization)
- British Columbia: Yes, under BC Pharmacare Formulary (special authorization)
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Yes, under the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program (NLPDP) (special authorization)
Helpful Resources:
Webinars
- Webinar series on advocating for access to Radicava: Watch part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here.
ALS Canada blog posts:
- Radicava (edaravone): Take Action for Access (ALS Canada blog post, January 20, 2020)
- Access to Therapies: Radicava (edaravone) Update (October 22, 2019 | updated October 5, 2020)
- Health Canada has approved Radicava (edaravone), a second ALS treatment for Canadians (October 4, 2018)
- How new drugs become approved and available to Canadians (April 9, 2018)
- Radicava (edaravone): Make your voice heard (June 11, 2018 | updated July 18, 2018)
- A second ALS drug, edaravone, has been newly approved in the United States (May 8, 2017 | updated October 5, 2017)