The UCP does NOT understand how devastating removing brand name biologics from the list of covered drugs could be. Let me explain..edmonton.citynews.ca/2019/11/18/cro…
Biological drugs are very expensive. They are genetically engineered antibodies that target specific molecules in our bodies that contribute to a disease process (like cancer, inflammation). They do not always just block the molecule from engaging it’s receptor.
Sometimes they have other actions (like inducing apoptosis/cell death) or activating receptors, or signaling other cells to eat the molecule/cell that the antibody binds to. That means that depending on how the antibody was originally designed, the therapeutic effect is different
A good example is in IBD, effective biologicals target Tumor necrosis factor, which is a pro-inflammatory molecule involves in fever, septic shock, and autoimmune disease(to name a few). Three examples of biologics that target TNF include (not limited to):
Remicade and Humira. Another 1 is Etanercept. All target TNF, but the first two can work, and the 3rd usually doesn’t. It is because of the structure of the antibody. It only blocks TNF, unlike the others, doesn’t kill the cells that cause inflammation.
Because the original clones that resulted in the brand-name biologics are proprietary, they’ll never be copied exactly. Biologics are prohibitively expensive for most ppl. Not covering them could lead to severe illness in IBD sufferers. #IBD #CRohns #colitis #ucpcorruption
My PhD research examined the role of TNF in IBD and bowel cancer, and I studied these biologics pretty closely. It’s been a few years so my info might not be totally up to date, but anyone else who can weigh in is welcome to.
Generic drugs can be copied exactly, atom by atom, whereas biologicals are complex proteins that are more difficult to copy exactly. Different parts of the protein do different things. It’s a combination of these actions that lead to a biologic’s efficacy.
@KikkiPlanet would you care to weigh in on this latest rage-inducing plan by the UCP to cut costs? Complete disregard to the health and safety of IBD patients.
