Input into medication reimbursement decisions

Introduction

The Common Drug Review (CDR) has recently introduced a new patient input process into their decision making. Individuals are not allowed to make submissions directly to CDR providing their input. Rather, they are asking registered organizations, like the schizophrenia societies, to collect input from consumers and families and put that input into a submission.

There are a number of medications for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis that are periodically reviewed by the CDR. We can now provide input to CDR as to what life is like living with schizophrenia and psychosis, as well as to how current medications are working.

After Health Canada has approved a drug for sale, the CDR is a process whereby the therapeutic and cost effectiveness of new brand name drugs is reviewed for government drug plans across Canada. The drug reviews are used to develop listing recommendations and rationales for the recommendations to the provincial drug plans (except for Quebec).

The CDR attempts to answer the following questions for a drug.

• How does it compare with alternatives?
• Which patients will it benefit?
• Will it deliver value for money?

To help facilitate a submission by SSC, we have developed a survey for consumers and one for families. These are available online below. Online surveys are submitted electronically.

People with direct experience should have their input heard when a decision is made about whether to make a medication accessible. It is through hearing from consumers and families that decision makers will be able to understand the real impact that schizophrenia has, and the value that certain medications may hold to individuals with the illness.

People with schizophrenia or their family members can fill out the following survey, which is based on the questions the CDR is asking. SSC will then take all the responses we get and summarize them in our submission. SSC cannot make claims about particular drugs as an organization, so our submission will only be a summary of the input we have received through these surveys.

THIS SURVEY IS DUE ON August 31, 2010.

If you have questions please contact Chris Summerville, CEO of the Schizophrenia of Canada at 1–204–223–9158 or at Chris@schizophrenia.ca.

Click below to take the appropriate survey:

I am a patient or My family member is a patient.

If you have any trouble with the survey, please email info@rgi-graphics.com.