Medicines Access Coalition

Medicines Access Coalition - BC

(formerly the better pharmacare coalition)

Medicines Access Coalition – BC (MedAccess BC) brings together patient organizations from across BC and across Canada to be a dominant and unified voice to bring awareness, education, attention and change as necessary to improve access to medicines leading to improved health outcomes for the people of BC.

As a coalition, we interact with many stakeholders who participate or influence the decisions directly affecting the access to medicines including, policy makers, government, researchers, academics, health practitioners, public and private health payers, benefit managers/consultants, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and others who play a role in the access to medicines.

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Evidence Based Medicine For Better Patient Care

We aim to be the leader in advocating for better access to medicines in BC by providing a unified voice of many patient care organizations.

Since being established in 1997, we have expanded our scope and effectiveness to be a significant resource to non-profit and charitable patient organization members and we advocate for improved access to safe and effective medicines through ensuring awareness of issues, delivering stakeholder activities, conducting research, providing education, and supporting our members.

What We Do?

MedAccess BC is a coalition of 30 chronic disease specific non-profit organizations and other groups, representing over two million constituents, with a mandate to improve patient outcomes by increasing timely and equitable access to evidence-based prescription medications, medical technologies and treatments for people of British Columbia. MedAccess BC collaborates and communicates with many stakeholders including, BC PharmaCare (public payer), Government, Policy Makers, Health Practitioners, Researchers, Private Health Plan/Insurers (private payers), Benefit Managers & Consultants, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, and others who play a role in the access to medicines. We work with our members and advocate together with healthcare providers, disease-specific non-governmental organizations, researchers, clinicians, insurers, patients, caregivers and other stakeholders to maintain and improve access to medicines.

Working together we aim to:

Increase access to new medicines and technologies

Provide greater control and choice for patients

Create a more transparent drug review and approval process with public participation

We represent a strong and unified patient voice safeguarding that the health and wellbeing of patients is prioritized and that the pursuit of cost-effectiveness for the choice of medicines does not cause harm to people.

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Drug Review

New York, US

For Transparency

Drug Pharmaceutical policy development, including drug review decisions, must be accessible and open to the general public, patients and all physicians.

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Drug Review

New York, US

For Patient Access

Physicians are best suited to making decisions about the treatment needs of their patients as they fully understand the disease history and the clinical implications of treatment.

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Drug Safety

New York, US

For Drug Review, Safety

Decisions about drug safety are an integral and ongoing part of the review process, and must incorporate all relevant stakeholders, including specialist physicians, epidemiologists and patients.

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Cost Effectiveness

New York, US

For Pharmaceutical Pricing and

Drug pricing must be in line with other provincial and territorial jurisdictions and must respect the balance between best price and patient needs.

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Therapeutic Options

New York, US

For Patient Access

Physicians are best suited to making decisions about the treatment needs of their patients as they fully understand the disease history and the clinical implications of treatment.

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