ADVERTISEMENT SEPTEMBER 2023 | HEALTHINSIGHT.CA
@HealthInsightCA
@MediaplanetCA
Please recycle
Patient&Access Empowerment A SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION BY MEDIAPLANET
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
| VISIT HEALTHINSIGHT.CA
Together, Let's Drive Improved Drug Access for Rare Diseases
Canada’s rare disease patient community is leveraging a $1.5-billion drug strategy to drive accelerated sustainable drug access for rare diseases and beyond. Scan QR to read
e-Prescriptions Boost the Safety and Efficiency of Canada’s Health Care System For patients, prescribers, and pharmacists, a digital option is superior to a paper one.
W Michelle Sponagle
e live in a digital world, and in recent years, it has expanded to include prescriptions at an increasing rate. Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) is helping to lead the way in transforming health care through innovative digital solutions that increase patients’ ability to access health services and receive the medications they need. One such solution is PrescribeIT®, a national e-prescribing service launched by Infoway in collaboration with Health Canada. In a short time, it has changed the way Canadians get their medications. It allows prescribers to electronically transmit a prescription directly from an electronic medical record to the pharmacy management system of a patient’s pharmacy of choice. It’s a safer and more secure way to handle medications by enabling the digital transmission of prescriptions.
Benefits patients and health care professionals The system is recognized by both patients and prescribers, including doctors, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists, as a better option. Recent data shows that 83 per cent of Canadians prefer having a prescription sent directly to their pharmacy without receiving a paper prescription. Meanwhile, prescribers said that PrescribeIT® reduces paperwork (83 per cent) and allows them to provide more efficient care (83 per cent). Pharmacists also feel more confident with a digital medication system, saying it reduces stolen or fraudulent prescriptions and it improves legibility and completeness. Consider this: pharmacists dispense about 750 million prescriptions each year, according to the Canadian Pharmacists Association. It emphasizes the importance of PrescribeIT® and how Infoway is making a positive impact in how Canadians manage medications more efficiently. To date, the digital system has successfully handled tens of millions of prescriptions.
To learn more, visit PrescribeIT.ca. This article was sponsored by PrescribeIT®.
It’s Time to Change the Reality of an ALS Diagnosis Equitable, affordable, and timely access to approved ALS therapies is an urgent issue for people living with ALS.
T
Tammy Moore, CEO, ALS Society of Canada he ALS community measures time not by months or years, but by loss — loss of function and loss of life. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neuron disease), a fatal neurodegenerative disease, results in progressive paralysis and, eventually, loss of the ability to move, speak, and breathe. Any person has a 1 in 300 chance of receiving a diagnosis in their lifetime. There is no cure, and few treatment options exist for most people. Given how quickly ALS can progress, access to treatments as soon as possible is critical. Long drug access processes — some taking more than three years — further complicate this, meaning that in the time it takes for someone to get access, we will have lost thousands of people to this devastating disease. To change this reality, the ALS Society of Canada advocates for equitable, affordable, and timely access to approved therapies by amplifying the voices of the ALS community and influencing policy changes. Together, we urge the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to improve access to therapies by: • Creating an environment that makes Canada a country of choice for industry to bring new therapies from research and development to clinical trials, through to new drug submissions; • Streamlining and increasing transparency of regulatory processes and timelines; and • Asking governments to collaborate to address the health care and funding inconsistencies across Canada resulting in inequitable access to therapies. With time as a precious resource for people living with ALS, they simply can’t wait. We must act now.
Tammy Moore CEO, ALS Society of Canada
To learn more, visit als.ca or call 1-800-267-4257. This article was sponsored by the ALS Society of Canada.
Why Patient Voices Play a Critical Role in Cancer Research The next generation of cancer research aims to increase patient-researcher collaboration to develop more targeted, individualized treatment options and better patient experiences.
T Sonya Friesen
he Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) works to advance cancer research and transform care for more than 14 million people diagnosed worldwide each year. Beth Ciavaglia, Chair of the OICR Patient and Family Advisory Council and breast cancer survivor, explains why patient voices are critical to the future of cancer diagnosis and treatment.
What is translational research? Translational research applies findings to the real clinical environment and transitions those findings into the hands of the patients, wherever health care is being delivered. It recognizes that research is not just on the periphery of care, but delivering care that can be integrated into
day-to-day practice with the patient at the centre.
What role can patients play in cancer research? Patient-researcher collaboration integrates a patient directly into a research team, giving them a seat at the table in the research process. The goal is that the patient’s voice will help offer researchers a unique, individualized perspective, leading to better, more targeted, and impactful results.
Why do patient voices matter? Cancer is a time when you’re feeling vulnerable. To be able to have any say in your day-to-day life is vitally important. Each person’s cancer is individual. Patients need to feel like they’re decision-makers.
What is precision medicine? Precision medicine recognizes that each person’s cancer is unique to that individual and must be treated accordingly. It explores the make-up of individual cancer at a genetic level, investigating treatment options for each specific situation. The goal is to deliver a more effective, customized or personalized treatment plan with fewer long-term negative outcomes for patients.
How is personalized care giving the cancer community a glimmer of hope? As cancer treatments become more individualized and less invasive, the hope is that patients will live life with limited to no side effects. When working in the cancer research space, you’re always filled with hope that your contribution is going to make a positive impact in some way.
Publisher: Anna Sibiga Strategic Account Manager: Meredith Burt Strategic Account Director: Jessica Golyatov Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Production Lead: Michael Taylor Creative Lead: Kylie Armishaw Web Editor: Christina Morgan Digital Media Coordinator: Kristen Neals Digital Traffic Strategist: Karm Rathod Content Strategist: Nicole Kansakar This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve The Toronto Star or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com.
Beth Ciavaglia Chair, OICR Patient & Family Advisory Council
To learn more about how OICR is supporting groundbreaking cancer discoveries and life-changing patient outcomes, visit oicr.on.ca. This article was sponsored by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.