The Therapeutics Initiative (TI), is a program that ensures safe and effective prescription drugs in British Columbia. But the BC government has stopped funding the TI, silencing a valuable bias-free source of information.
All British Columbians, as well as patients around the world, will be affected if the Therapeutics Initiative is forced to close. There will be one less voice for safe and effective medicines.
That’s why we urge you to add your voice to those calling on the government to restore funding to the Therapeutics Initiative immediately. Health professionals in BC and around the world are urging the BC government to reinstate the Therapeutics Initiative’s funding to support safe, evidence-based prescribing practices for the health of all British Columbians, and we hope you'll join them.
Let’s make sure Premier Christy Clark and Health Minister Terry Lake get the message. Please sign this petition and share it with everyone you know!
Dear Premier Clark and Minister Lake,
We the undersigned urge you to reinstate funding for the Therapeutics Initiative.
British Columbia’s Therapeutics Initiative is internationally renowned for its independent, evidence-based information about the effectiveness and safety of new prescription drugs. Since its founding in 1996, it has helped protect the people of British Columbia from drugs that may not be safe, such as Vioxx, which was linked to more than 6,000 deaths in Canada due to congestive heart failure before it was pulled from the market in 2004.
BC decided not to cover Vioxx - based on the TI’s sound advice. The result? An estimated 500-600 lives were saved.
That’s the kind of investment that British Columbians can support, and it's just one of the reasons why we urge your government to continue support of the Therapeutics Initiative. The suspension of the TI’s funding exposes British Columbians to greater health risks and increased health care costs.
Since 1996, the TI has directly or indirectly touched the lives of every British Columbian. It has provided solid, unbiased assessments of prescription drugs to Fair Pharmacare, so that the public can trust they will have access to the best and safest medicines.
According to a report by the University of British Columbia, the TI is not only saving the government money, but patients as well. One example: the TI helped patients lower their prescription costs by many millions of dollars when it recommended they split their statin tablets.
From around the world, physicians, scientists, nurses, healthcare professionals, health educators, medical researchers, health journalists and consumers are asking the BC government to show its commitment to safe and effective drug prescribing, and to ensuring the health and safety of all citizens.
We urge your government to restore funding to the TI, and restore a valuable, bias-free source of prescribing information that keeps British Columbians healthy with safe, effective medicines.
