Health Canada covered $16.2 million in antipsychotic drugs last year

OTTAWA – Health Canada’s non-insured health benefits program provides about $1 billion in annual coverage to eligible First Nations and Inuit people for a limited range of prescription drugs not covered by private or provincial or territorial health insurance plans.

Health Canada says it covered antipsychotic medications, used to treat severe mental illness, for nearly 25,000 clients in fiscal 2015-16, at a cost of approximately $16.2 million.

Here is a list of antipsychotic agents that require prior approval from Health Canada, the number of requests the department received to cover the drugs between April 1, 2015, and June 15, 2016, as well as the approval rate.

— Aripiprazole, also known by the trade name Abilify

Requests: 1,236

Approval rate: 53.3 per cent

— Extended-release Aripiprazole, also known by the trade name Abilify Maintena

Requests: 184

Approval rate: 98.4 per cent

— Asenapine, also known by the trade name Saphris

Requests: 69

Approval Rate: 82.6 per cent

— Paliperidone palmitate, also known by the trade name Invega Sustenna

Requests: 445

Approval rate: 99.8 per cent

— Risperidone (Consta), also known by the trade name Risperdal Consta

Requests: 194

99.5 per cent

— Ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate, also known by the trade name Zeldox

Requests: 206

Approval rate: 99 per cent

— Lurasidone, also known by the trade name Latuda

Requests: 119

Approval rate: 69.7 per cent