Health Canada takes oxy off drug coverage plans

Health Canada will no longer pay for Oxycontin for patients under the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program (NIHB).
The federal government has removed all long-acting oxycodone drugs from the NIHBP effective February 15.
The move comes as communities across northern Ontario continue to be ravaged by epidemics of oxycodone addictions.
Health Canada spokesperson Stephane Shank said the government is acting on the recommendation of the NIHB drug use evaluation committee and NIHB pharmacy and therapeutics committee.
“(The committees) found there was a lack of evidence to demonstrate long-acting oxycodone is any more effective than other long acting opiods,” Shank wrote in an email. “There were also concerns among the committee members about the safety of long-acting oxycodone use.”
The removal of the drugs also applies to OxyNeo, a new version of oxycontin that Perdue Pharma, the drug’s manufacturer, claims is harder to abuse than OxyContin.
“There is a lack of long-term clinical data to substantiate this claim,” Shank wrote.
On Jan. 23 Cat Lake declared a state of emergency due to oxycontin addiction in the community. Chief Matthew Keewaykapow issued a call for help to both the federal and provincial governments, citing the fact that chief and council could no longer provide essential services or protect Cat Lake residents due to the epidemic of drug addictions.
A community estimate completed earlier this year stated that 70 – 80 per cent of residents in Cat Lake are addicted to prescription drugs.
Cat Lake is just the most recent northern Ontario First Nation community to struggle with prescription drug addiction. In 2009 Nishnawbe Aski Nation declared a state of emergency over its entire territory due to prescription drugs, although leadership say the response from government has been inadequate.
Both Manitoba and Prince Edward Island have already removed oxycontin from their drug coverage plans.
Shank said that coverage for oxycontin will still be considered on a case-by-case basis, and coverage may be provided in “exceptional circumstances” such as cancer or palliative pain.
Meanwhile the NIHB committees will continue to monitor regular release oxycodone products like Percocet. For the time being, those types of drugs will still be covered under the program.