28 new drugs added to provincial formulary

The P.E.I. government is adding 28 new drugs to the provincial formulary starting on August 1.

Those are drugs that the provincial government will cover the full or partial cost of depending on the drug.

The new drugs treat a range of illnesses, including cancer, eye conditions, adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and cystic fibrosis.

The 13 new cancer drugs will offer treatment options for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, small lymphocytic lymphoma, melanoma, lung cancer, renal cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, cervical cancer, gastric (stomach) cancer, and colorectal cancer.

Islanders will now have coverage for anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs for three additional eye conditions including diabetic macular edema, macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion, and choroidal neovascularisation. The province previously covered these drugs only for age-related macular degeneration.

Three new drugs are being added to support Islanders with cystic fibrosis, as well as drugs for ulcerative colitis, overactive bladder, Dravet syndrome (severe form of pediatric epilepsy), hepatic encephalopathy, and pulmonary hypertension.

View the full list of the 28 drugs here.

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