Access For Sight Impaired ConsumersAccess For Sight Impaired ConsumersAccess for Sight-Impaired Consumers, along with hundreds of its members affected by wet age-related macular degeneration have become increasingly concerned regarding an important health care issue arising from an existing BC government policy. Butt most of our members who are affected by age-related macular degeneration (Wet AMD) seem to be completely unaware of the serious safety issues associated with Avastin® that have become apparent through the product Monograph for that drug that was issued in September 2011. They also seem unaware of the recent Health Canada warning notices discouraging the unauthorised use of Avastin® for intravitreal injections.
ASIC joins the CNIB which is also very concerned about the welfare of seniors in British Columbia who are affected by Age-related Macular Degeneration and are being exposed to potentially harmful treatment with Avastin® .
No jurisdiction in the world has approved the use of Avastin® as an intravitreal treatment for wet AMD. Avastin® has not undergone the regulatory scrutiny of a Health Canada review for use as an AMD treatment. In addition, Health Canada has issued warnings about its unauthorised use as an intravitreal injection in December 2011.
Like CNIB, ASIC is very concerned for AMD patients in this province who are subjected to what amounts to potentially unsafe experimental treatment with Avastin® for their condition. We believe that the inclusion of a drug that is both unapproved and unproven in the province’s AMD Treatment program is placing a great number of BC citizens at unnecessary risk of serious side effects including some fatal conditions as a result of its use.
At least four scientific studies have been published within the past year calling into question the safety of Avastin® when used as an intravitreal injection to treat Wet AMD. Following an important scientific meeting in Vancouver last year, Dr. Keith Gordon, Vice-President - Research for CNIB, released a statement regarding renewed concerns about the safety of Avastin® when used to treat AMD. CNIB’s position on the use of Avastin® for the treatment of Wet AMD is as follows:
“CNIB cannot advocate for any treatment that has not gone through rigorous and appropriate clinical trials, nor been approved for use in Canada. Lucentis is the only one of these two medications that has been approved by Health Canada with respect to safety and efficacy for use in Wet AMD.”
Access for Sight-Impaired Consumers sees this as an urgent matter. Patient health is at risk due to serious safety issues. As a result, we recently filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request with BC's Provincial Health Services Authority to determine the current policies and approvals regarding the use of Lucentis and/or Avastin® . Furthermore, ASIC will be conducting a survey of patients affected by wet AMD to further determine their knowledge of approved medical treatments for this eye condition, the treatment options that are available to them and to determine their awareness level of Health Canada's safety warnings. If you are affected by wet AMD or can alert a friend, relative or family member of ASIC's impending survey, Please contact Access for Sight-Impaired Consumers via e-mail directly to ensure you and/or they are included in our survey.
ASIC will advise the results of the FOI inquiry to the Provincial Health Services Authority as soon as it is received and post the results on our website.