Abigail is 12 years old and one of the 24,000 Canadians under 18 who live with some form of arthritis.
Due to an added layer of bureaucracy in recent years, Abigail now faces long waits for access to Aristospan injections, a medication that will soothe the pain, inflammation and swelling. This drug was once found at every pharmacy, but is no longer available in Canada. Abigail must apply to a special program to receive the drug from US Pharmacies. The wait time is very important, as each day the arthritis causes permanent damage to Abigail’s joints.
The reason for this wait? Analysts aren’t quite sure, but suspect it’s part of an ongoing trend:the growing disappearance of inexpensive, older drugs that have small profit margins. Many of the drugs that have been seeing shortages lately are generic, older medicines that don’t offer the same profit incentives for pharmaceutical companies.
While thousands of Canadians rely on these once-affordable medications, others battle debt and financial burden to access newer, more expensive medications. These are tell-tale signs of a system that just isn’t working.
Sign the Declaration to show your support for access to affordable medicine. Read Abigail’s story in the Globe & Mail.
UPDATE: As of August, 2014, Abigail’s condition has worsened. She now has more joints affected by arthritis than ever before, and has been switched to a new medication. She must take Humira shots. Each dose costs $1000.
