AbbVie Announces Provincial Reimbursement for RINVOQ® (upadacitinib) for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis in Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan

MONTREAL, Dec. 1, 2022 /CNW/ - AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), today announced that RINVOQ is now listed as a special authorization medication or exception medication status on the formularies of Alberta¹, New Brunswick², Ontario³, Quebec⁴ and Saskatchewan⁵ for the treatment of adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In addition, RINVOQ is now listed as a Limited Use product on the formulary of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program (NIHB)⁶ for the treatment of RA and PsA.

Information regarding the specific reimbursement criteria for each province and jurisdiction may be found by consulting the links below:

• Alberta Health – Drug Benefit List
• Government of New Brunswick – Drug Plans Formulary
• Ontario Ministry of Health – Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary
• Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec – List of Medications
• Government of Saskatchewan – Saskatchewan Drug formulary
• Non-Insured Health Benefits program – Drug Benefit List

This announcement comes two months after AbbVie successfully reached an agreement with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), bringing a new treatment option to patients living with RA and PsA.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disease that can affect multiple joints in the body and lead to pain, stiffness and swelling.⁷ RA affects about one in 100 Canadians, which is approximately 300,000 people.⁷  

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a type of inflammatory arthritis that usually appears in people living with psoriasis.⁸ Between 10 and 30% of people with psoriasis will develop PsA, which can cause swelling, pain and inflammation in the joints.⁸

About RINVOQ®  (upadacitinib)⁹

RINVOQ is a once-daily oral medication in an extended-release tablet. It is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that interferes with the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, which is thought to play a role in inflammatory response.

RINVOQ is indicated for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate, for adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate or other DMARDs, for adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older with refractory moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) who are not adequately controlled with a systemic treatment or when use of those therapies is inadvisable, and for adults with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who have had an inadequate response to a biologic DMARD or when use of those therapies is inadvisable.

For important therapeutic and safety information, please consult the RINVOQ Product Monograph at www.abbvie.ca.

About AbbVie in Rheumatology

For more than 20 years, AbbVie has been dedicated to improving care for people living with rheumatic diseases. Anchored by a longstanding commitment to discovering and delivering transformative therapies, we pursue cutting-edge science to help improve our understanding of promising new pathways and targets, as we ultimately hope to help more people living with rheumatic diseases to reach their treatment goals.

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.ca. Follow AbbVie Canada on Twitter, on Instagram, or find us on LinkedIn.

References 

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¹ Alberta Health. https://idbl.ab.bluecross.ca/idbl/drugDetails?_cid=ebdeaaaa-9331-4bcc-a6d8-ac0d0518c373&id=0000092897&intchg_grp_nbr=1&detailId=7618569. Accessed November 18, 2022.

² New Brunswick Drug Plans Formulary. http://www.gnb.ca/0212/BenefitUpdates-e.asp. Accessed November 22, 2022.

³ Ontario Ministry of Health. https://www.formulary.health.gov.on.ca/formulary/ Accessed November 18, 2022.

⁴ Régie de l'assurance maladie de Québec. https://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/a-propos/liste-medicaments Accessed November 22, 2022.

⁵ Government of Saskatchewan. https://formulary.drugplan.ehealthsask.ca/SearchFormulary/BG/799398 Accessed November 18, 2022.

⁶ Non-Insured Health Benefits Program. https://nihb-ssna.express-scripts.ca/en/0205140506092019/16/160407. Accessed November 10, 2022.

⁷ Arthritis Society of Canada. https://arthritis.ca/about-arthritis/arthritis-types-(a-z)/types/rheumatoid-arthritis Accessed November 2, 2022.

⁸ Arthritis Society of Canada. https://arthritis.ca/about-arthritis/arthritis-types-(a-z)/types/psoriatic-arthritis. Accessed November 2, 2022.

⁹ AbbVie Corporation. https://www.abbvie.ca/content/dam/abbvie-dotcom/ca/en/documents/products/RINVOQ_PM_EN.pdf. Accessed November 2, 2022.

SOURCE AbbVie Canada

Media Inquiries: Julie Lepsetz, AbbVie Canada, [phone], [email protected]