Alberta pushing patients to use generic version of stomach drug

Move follows B.C., Ontario and aims to save $40 million over three years

The Alberta government says it will save $40 million over the next three years by limiting coverage for acid reflux medications.

Patients taking proton pump inhibitors (PPI), which help prevent the stomach from producing too much acid, will no longer receive provincial subsidies for such prescriptions as of February unless they switch to the lowest-cost versions.

“We have put a four-month transition period in place to support patients, and I encourage them to discuss their treatment with their physicians,” Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said in a statement Monday.

The government said it made the decision after talking with experts and reviewing recent research, which found all drugs of this class are equally effective, regardless if they are brand-name or generic versions.

PPI medications are widely used in Canada — including 194,000 Albertans on government-sponsored drug programs — though the research also found many patients who use the drugs don’t need them.

“From my perspective, we know health-care costs are increasing, so we need to be very diligent about providing health care as efficiently as possible,” said Dr. Scott Klarenbach, chairman of the Alberta Expert Committee on Drug Evaluation and Therapeutics.

The committee provides recommendations to the health minister about what medications should be covered.

“Any circumstance where … there is a large difference in cost for drugs that are supposed to do the same thing, it kind of makes sense to look at whether you are getting additional value for the extra money you are paying.”

The committee, which provides recommendations to the health minister about what medications should be covered, has been pushing for such a change for some time, he said.

British Columbia and Ontario have adopted similar changes, as well as some private drug plans.

As of next February, coverage will be provided only for the generic versions of Pariet (rabeprazole) and Tecta (pantoprazole magnesium).

Those who choose to stay with a higher-cost drug will be required to pay the cost difference.

The government said some exemptions for coverage may be granted, such as in the case of patient who has a bad reaction to the lower-cost medications.

Asked whether it might be a better approach to encourage doctors and pharmacists to prescribe the lower-cost versions rather than limiting coverage, Klarenbach said he believes the process would be slow.

“Speaking for myself, unless there is some pressure or motivation for them to change, it can be very difficult.”

The government said patients on a government-sponsored plan now taking the highest-cost PPI drug could save up to $82 a year in copayments by switching to a lower-cost version.