To the Right Honourable Jason Kenney:
Have you ever thrown up over everyone nearby, emptied your bowel all over the floor, had such excruciating pain that it feels like a knife is being turned around inside your stomach? This happened to me many times in my life.
I was finally diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2004 after almost dying and many years of this intermittent suffering. At that time, I was put on medication which was supposed to calm my stomach. Five years ago, however, I was really ill – my previous consultant had retired. Now my local hospital had a new consultant, and after another colonoscopy, I was told I needed a different kind of medication. First we tried Humera – this made me ill – then I was put on Remicade. Initially I was on it once every four weeks intravenously – now I take it once every 6 weeks. It has dramatically improved my life. Although for whatever reason, once every so often there is a glitch, had to cancel a holiday this year and of course my immune system is weakened. But 99 per cent of the time I lead a happy, normal active life!
I knew how expensive Remicade was ($4,000 a time for me) and I knew I could not afford it, but I was covered on a program. All I paid was a prescription charge.
I am 76 years old. I have discovered that the Alberta government wants to take away the drug that works for me and put me on a new drug which is supposed to work in a similar way. I am told it is cheaper than Remicade, but I have no idea of its cost. Further, my concern is that because of my age and because of the fact that a study by Dr. Paul Moayyedi of McMaster University indicated that inflammatory bowel disease patients were more likely to have problems changing to biosimilars, how I wonder will my body react! People who have no medical knowledge from the Alberta Government are making decisions about my health – because of the cost! My life and wellbeing is being measured in dollars and cents – I could be their mother or grandmother – yes but they have the money to pay for their families.
Yes I agree the drug companies are making a lot of money – why do we not have a way of making them reduce the price? No, without discussion or consultation, with one stroke of the pen, they are willing to put the fate of everyone who uses this drug Remicade in jeopardy! How much that will cost in the long term in human suffering and financial cost is anybody's guess!
Elizabeth Allchin, St. Albert
