A drug used to fight the leading cause of blindness in Canada will now be covered under the Ontario drug benefit program.
The prescription medicine Lucentis will now be added to the list of publicly-funded drugs.
Lucentis is used to treat neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, a degenerative condition that affects central vision. About 10,000 patients are treated for AMD in Ontario each year. Most of them are aged 50 and older.
Health Minister George Smitherman says the province is investing more than $100 million over three years to add Lucentis to the list.
"Many people in Ontario, especially older people, will enjoy improved eyesight and quality of life with the availability of Lucentis through our publicly funded drug programs," said Smitherman.
Jim Sanders, CEO and president of CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) said his group is "extremely pleased" that Lucentis is being covered by Ontario's public drug programs," said.
"I know that people with wet AMD, including many seniors, will be very happy with this announcement."
There are two types of AMD: dry and wet. Both types affect the macula, located in the centre of the retina, which is responsible for detailed visual activities such as reading and driving.
Wet AMD is more severe and involves the leaking of blood and other fluids into the macula.
Lucentis contains ranibizumab, an agent designed to block the growth of abnormal blood vessels that can leak blood and other fluids. It is administered as an injection into the eye by a physician and
Clinical research has shown that Lucentis not only stops vision deterioration associated with AMD, but improves visual capacity in 40 per cent of cases.
