Petition text
CONSIDERING the desire to put the patient at the centre of all decisions and the importance that he at all times be able to give his informed consent as to the options offered to him with regard to his health;
CONSIDERING THAT ensuring patients’ security is a legal obligation under the Act respecting health services and social services;
CONSIDERING the importance of respecting the patient’s choice;
CONSIDERING the physical and emotional consequences accruing from any changes to a prior course of treatment mandated for a patient, whether said substitutions be therapeutic, or a generic or biosimilar product (subsequent entry biologic);
CONSIDERING THAT biologic products are ubiquitous in our healthcare system and are frequently used to treat many illnesses, that their biosimilar products are not necessarily bioequivalent and interchangeable, and that Health Canada does not recommend the automatic substitution of a reference product by a biosimilar one;
CONSIDERING THAT the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux recommends that information programs about the proper use of biosimilar medications be made available to patients;
We, the undersigned, ask that the Minister of Health and Social Services:
- recognize that a patient whose condition is being correctly treated thanks to a specific medication, whether biologic or chemical, should have the power to exercise his freedom of choice and to continue said treatment without being pressured to change his medication;
- recognize that any therapeutic change of medication must not happen without the patient’s informed decision, in harmony with his healthcare providers.
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