John Horgan on Voice of BC with Vaughn Palmer.
https://vimeo.com/130491898
Question period in the British Columbia Legislature, July9th/2013
Oral Questions
THERAPEUTICS INITIATIVE AND DRUG REVIEW PROCESS
A. Dix: My question is to the Minister of Health.
Dr. Arnold Relman and Dr. Marcia Angell, both past editors of the New England Journal of Medicine,
have praised UBC's therapeutics initiative as an outstanding drug
watchdog. They credit the TI for saving lives and the health care system
money.
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TI's research protected British Columbians
from Vioxx years before it was pulled off the shelves. It also issued
warnings about Avandia, a diabetes drug, six years before the U.S.
government fined GlaxoSmithKline over $3 billion for withholding
information about the drug's risks.
Does the Minister of Health agree with Dr.
Angell's and Dr. Relman's praise for the therapeutics initiative? And if
so, will he take steps to ensure that the therapeutics initiative
continues to do its job and continues to have the support of the
government of B.C.?
Hon. T. Lake: To
the Leader of the Opposition, the British Columbia government relies on
the best scientific evidence available. That's the very foundation of
the drug review process we have in British Columbia. The therapeutics initiative still plays a
role in that drug review process. We will continue to work with the TI,
but we will make sure that the system that we use here in British
Columbia ensures that not only are the best drugs available for the
patients here in British Columbia but also have the best value for the
taxpayers of British Columbia.
Madame Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition on a supplemental.
A. Dix: Well,
the government just cut the funding for the TI and essentially
eliminated its role in the drug review process. If that's what the
minister thinks is supporting it or working with it, I would like to see
what he does to those that oppose him. Successive Health Ministers Colin Hansen,
George Abbott and Kevin Falcon all withstood pressure from the
pharmaceutical industry to maintain the role of the therapeutics
initiative, to ensure that the therapeutics initiative plays that role
in ensuring the safety of drugs taken by British Columbians here in our
province — drugs such as Champix, a smoking cessation drug made by
Pfizer which Premier Clark added to PharmaCare in September 2011,
despite serious concerns about side effects.
The Premier said at the time about those
lethal side effects that she was going to insist that the drug's safety
be examined. Why did the government then go on to order the therapeutics
initiative not to evaluate Champix's safety? Did they, in fact, oppose a
published evaluation of a drug the government itself was promoting?
Hon. T. Lake: The
hon. member fails to recall that a review of the drug approval process
came at the behest of an umbrella patient organization, Better
Pharmacare Coalition. The Pharmacare Coalition was critical of the
amount of time it was taking the ministry to approve new medications
compared to other jurisdictions, claiming it took 2½ years on average,
for B.C. to review and list new drugs.
In response to this, the Ministry of Health
appointed a panel of experts. Minister George Abbott at the time
accepted all of those recommendations. What we have is a system whereby drugs are
evaluated and listed with far greater efficiency than in the past. We
still involve the therapeutics initiative. Their funding has not been
cut — although, related to the data breach, some of the funding has been
suspended while that investigation is ongoing, which is only the right
thing to do, and we stand by that decision.
Madame Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition on a supplemental.
A. Dix: Well,
this appears to be a drug approval process that the minister supports.
The Premier promotes Champix in her leadership campaign. The government
then lists Champix on the PharmaCare program.
The Premier says the drug's lethal side
effects, which have forced it to be recently taken off the list in other
jurisdictions, will be reviewed. Then, when the therapeutics initiative
is doing such a review, the Ministry of Health sends the following
e-mail: "We have decided to keep smoking cessation in-house. Sorry about
that. It's getting political, and we aren't sure anyone wants to see a
published evaluation."
This is a serious situation. The government
is promoting this drug. The Premier herself ensured the drug would be
listed. She assured the public that side effects would be reviewed, and
they are not being reviewed.
Does the minister agree with this approach to drug approval in British Columbia?
Hon. T. Lake: Champix
is an effective drug that has helped many people quit smoking and go on
to a healthier, smoke-free life — something that we actually think is
in the best interests of British Columbians. The ministry, the national
common drug review and Health Canada reviewed all the available research
on Champix before B.C. decided to cover the drug. All three continue to
monitor research on the use of this drug.
For someone to suggest that we are making
political decisions, from someone who made a political decision in the
middle of a campaign that caused all kinds of issues for job creation in
this province, I find it a little bit hard to take.
J. Darcy: The
Liberals keep saying that examining government's key responsibilities
will be central to the core review they are planning to launch. Given
that keeping patients safe should be one of the Ministry of Health's
primary obligations, a valid core review would expand B.C.'s drug
watchdog.
However, this government is gutting the therapeutics initiative, jeopardizing research into the safety of drugs
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like Accutane and dabigatran, a potent blood thinner — so potent that it may cause life-threatening complications and fatalities due to uncontrollable internal bleeding. It is a drug that the therapeutics initiative planned to and needs to review, to protect British Columbians.
like Accutane and dabigatran, a potent blood thinner — so potent that it may cause life-threatening complications and fatalities due to uncontrollable internal bleeding. It is a drug that the therapeutics initiative planned to and needs to review, to protect British Columbians.
Will the minister agree that his primary
obligation is to patients, not pharmaceutical companies? Will he agree
to restoring therapeutics initiative's funding so that it can study the
safety of drugs like dabigatran?
Hon. T. Lake: I
thought I made it clear earlier but just to reiterate, government has
not cancelled funding to the therapeutics initiative or cancelled its
working relationship with TI. Some contracts have been suspended while a
ministry investigation continues. We think that is the prudent thing to
do, and that is the decision that we stand by.
J. Darcy: The
minister and the cabinet also talk about bending the health care cost
curve. As the minister is aware, prescription drugs are one of the top
cost drivers in health care today. Peer-reviewed research shows that in
addition to saving lives, the therapeutics initiative drug research
saves B.C.'s PharmaCare program around $140 million annually. That is an
excellent return on money, given that therapeutics initiative's funding
from this government has ranged between half a million dollars and $1
million.
Why is the minister agreeing to shut down
therapeutics initiative at the very time he needs its expertise more
than ever to ensure that B.C.'s health care dollars are spent wisely and
efficiently?
Hon. T. Lake: Again,
a coalition of people who work on behalf of patients was concerned
about the amount of time it was taking British Columbia to list new
drugs — 2½ years, longer than the national average. I suppose the
members opposite would think that that's a good thing — to have people
waiting 2½ years to approve a drug that could improve their life. On
this side of the House we thought we should do something about that.
A task force recommended a change in the way
that we list drugs here in the province of British Columbia, which
includes a role for the TI. We think that's appropriate, and we think
the faster way of approving drugs has benefitted patients in the
province of British Columbia.
THERAPEUTICS INITIATIVE AND
ACCESS TO DRUG INFORMATION
ACCESS TO DRUG INFORMATION
D. Eby: That was 2008 when that patients' coalition made that recommendation. This is 2013. Not only that, but two past editors of the New England Journal of Medicine have said that this was best practice that other jurisdictions should follow.
Giving doctors accurate information about
how well medications work is another way the therapeutics initiative
saves our health care system money. This information helps doctors give
their patients the medicine that works the best instead of new drugs
that are more expensive but no more effective. By providing impartial
information, the therapeutics initiative helps save money for patients,
employers and taxpayers.
In B.C. alone there are over 600 drug
company representatives trying to convince family doctors to prescribe
new drugs that aren't any better than existing drugs. Can the minister
explain to this House how it makes financial sense to shut down the
therapeutics initiative and stop doctors from getting the information
that saves patients and taxpayers money?
Hon. T. Lake: This
is about getting the best medication to patients in the fastest time
possible and ensuring the efficacy of those drugs. This is what the
Pharmaceutical Task Force pointed out. They wanted to get those drugs to
the patients faster. They also have more content experts on that panel
to review the drugs under the new system. We think it's a better system.
It gets the needed drugs to patients in a faster, more timely way. That
is good for the health of British Columbians.
D. Eby: For
years the pharmaceutical industry has asked the Liberals to stop the
therapeutics initiative from teaching doctors and pharmacists about what
drugs work best and how to save patients and taxpayers money. There is
no doubt it will save time, stopping the therapeutics initiative from
teaching doctors, but that's also, of course, one of the recommendations
made by the industry-led Pharmaceutical Task Force in 2008.
Over 90 percent of family doctors and
pharmacists use the objective information the therapeutics initiative
gives them about what medicines are safe, effective and the best choice
for patients. It doesn't make sense to ask the companies that sell the
drugs to tell doctors what drugs to buy.
Will the minister stand up today and admit
the obvious, that it makes good financial sense to have an independent
and objective agency like the therapeutics initiative give impartial
drug information to doctors?
Hon. T. Lake: Well,
the organization called the common drug review is in fact an
independent, impartial, evidence-based agency that's tasked with
providing advice to help decision-makers about new and emerging health
technologies. That's a national program.
Then provincially the therapeutics
initiative is still used, along with our new system of approving drugs,
to ensure that in fact drugs not covered by them can be listed here in
British Columbia. In response to patients, in response to content
experts, we have created a new system that has a more timely way of
getting those needed drugs to patients.
Question period video here..
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Christy Clark..Terry Lake, a young man is dead, a family shattered, live`s ruined...
A three year long ruse, a three year elaborate scam designed to con the public...You promoted a bad drug, you took huge BC Liberal party donations from big pharma, you gave Champix a BC Government exclusive, even worse Christy Clark, you promoted that bad drug.You Christy Clark went out of your way to stop Therapeutics Initiative from examining this bad drug..
You Christy Clark and you Terry Lake have blood on your hands.
The fake scheme hatched in Christy Clark`s office targeting and silencing health researchers have caused death..
Resign today or prepare to face criminal negligence causing death charges..
This can`t be swept under the rug..
Have you no shame Christy Clark...Terry Lake, do you know what the Hippocratic oath means?
More damning evidence here..
http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2015/06/christy-clark-and-bc-liberal-party.html
And here..
http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2015/06/christy-clark-admitted-todayfriday-june.html
You can`t wash Roderick MacIsaac`s blood from your hands.....You are a shameless political whore Christy Clark...I will no longer address you as Premier..
Resign today Christy Clark....and take Terry Lake with you..
MORE BREAKING NEWS.....
BCers have no legal aid money.....Because the BC Liberals stole $100 million dollars from the legal aid fund to balnce their budget.
http://mtplaw.com/legal-aid-funds-diverted-by-bc-government/
The Straight Goods
Cheers Eyes Wide Open
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