Imagine that your pharmacist substituted the biologic drug prescribed by your physician for a different drug, an interchangeable biologic product, without your physician being informed. For many people in Ohio who are taking biologic drugs, this scary scenario was a potential reality.
House Bill 505 (HB505) was signed into law by Governor Kasich earlier today. The bill outlines parameters for substitution of interchangeable biologic drugs, guaranteeing patients have access to high quality and safe biologic medicines. It also requires pharmacists to notify physicians when interchangeable biologic drug substitutions are made, thus allowing physicians to maintain accurate medical records and knowingly respond if complications or adverse side effects occur. It is hoped that these new medications, when introduced into the market, will be less costly making access more attainable.
Many Arthritis Foundation Ambassadors, including Nikki Domers and Joanna Helon, played key roles in passage of HB505, educating Ohio legislators about the value of biologics in treating various forms of arthritis, expressing the need for better access to these costly medications, and assuring that the patient-provider relationship was maintained.
Domers wrote a letter to the editor of the Akron Beacon Journal stating,“…because of the complex nature of the diseases being treated by biologics, it is crucial that the medical team is aware of any substitutions. Even small changes can affect treatment. Prescriber communication allows for the patient and doctors to proactively monitor for any potential adverse events and ensure that the new drug is working with the same efficiency without causing undue harm to the patient.”
Several weeks ago Joanna Helon, who is also the Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run national adult honoree, testified before the Ohio Senate Health and Human Services Committee, helping them understand how treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis with biologics has positively changed outcomes.
“在过去的30年里，我看到了治疗的进步，我看到患有关节炎的孩子从更积极有效的药物中受益，”Helon说。“当我第一次被确诊时，我每天服用36颗婴儿阿司匹林，并接受黄金注射。我现在每周注射一次生物药物。当我第一次被诊断时，与现在可用的治疗方案相比，有很大的不同!现在的药物实际上改变了疾病，这是很重要的。我听过无数关节炎患者的故事，他们的生活因为生物药物的发展而彻底改变，变得更好。我很高兴，因为这些治疗，许多今天确诊的孩子不会遭受我所遭受的疼痛和关节损伤。”
Thanks are due to many otherAdvocatesand Ambassadors who worked for passage of HB505 by attending the 2016 Ohio Capitol Day, writing letters and making calls to their legislators, and our friends in the Ohio Association of Rheumatology who partnered with us on many initiatives.
These important victories don’t happen without participation and support from people who are affected by arthritis – people like you! Get involved by attending the 2017 OhioCapitol Day on May 4 in Columbus, or the 2017Advocacy Summit, March 6-7, in Washington, DC.