12 December 2019 - The provincial government says will free up hundreds of millions of dollars in health funding during the next four years by changing drug plan coverage for pricy chronic disease treatments.

In Calgary on Thursday, Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced five so-called biologics drugs, which are used to treat arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, low white blood cell counts and other conditions, will no longer be covered by government-sponsored drug plans.

Instead, patients who receive the injectable treatments will have six months to transition to biosimilar alternatives, which will be covered. The alternative therapies can be cheaper by half, Shandro said, pointing to studies of biosimilars that concluded they are as safe and effective as the original drugs.

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