Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada has announced the launch of the Ultibro Breezhaler indacaterol/glycopyrronium bromide DPI for the treatment of COPD in Quebec, the first province in Canada to reimburse the inhaler. The Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), which administers prescription drug insurance plans, has listed Ultribro Breezhaler as a “Médicament d’exception” for use when a three-month trial of a long-acting bronchodilator fails to control a patient’s COPD symptoms.
Ultibro Breezhaler was approved by Health Canada in January 2014.
Jean Bourbeau, Director of the Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit (RECRU) of the Montreal Chest Institute at McGill Health Center commented, “It is great news that patients in Quebec will now have access to this important long acting bronchodilator combination therapy. A new treatment option which is taken once daily to improve lung function and reduce flare-ups is a welcome advance for my patients.”
Read the Novartis press release.
