For Nova Scotia Residents Only
To the very best of my knowledge and effective today, many individuals currently taking Clozaril® (clozapine) produced by Novartis Canada Inc. will be switched to a generic version of Clozaril® called Gen-Clozapine produced by Genpharm. Again, to the very best of my knowledge, this only applies to all individuals receiving income assistance form the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services or enrolled in the Nova Scotia Family Pharmacare Program and currently taking Clozaril®. Blood monitoring will now be conducted by a program called GenCAN instead of Novartis’ CSAN® program. A patient’s prior blood work information will be transferred, and from what I understand without the individual’s permission, from the CSAN® program (Novartis) to the GenCAN program (Genpharm). If you have any questions or concerns about the above, please feel free to contact the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia.
Also see:
Evaluation of an interchangeability switch in patients treated with clozapine: A retrospective review.
Generic clozapine: a cost-saving alternative to brand name clozapine?
Branded versus generic clozapine: bioavailability comparison and interchangeability issues.
Clinical equivalence of generic and brand-name drugs used in cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Clozaril® graphic courtesy of Novartis.
2 comments:
For 25 years I suffered from long term chronic mental illness. I went through much pain, suffering, torture, and torment. I was always suffering from symptoms. Either positive or negative.
Finally in March 2000 the doctors found the right medication. I started taking clozapine. It brought the positive symptoms under control, as well as the negative symptoms.
I never started recovering from my schizophrenia until I started taking clozapine.
Now they are taking us off the original clozapine and putting us on the generic brand. The consumers on it were not consulted. In fact they never even gave us any warning. I just found out about this yesterday. The same day it was to be put into effect. I only found out because Stephen Ayer the Executive Director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia informed me about it yesterday.
When I found out about it my whole being was just filled with great fear. Will the generic brand work? Will I get sick again and start that living hell all over again? If I do get ill again will I ever get well again? My whole heart, mind, and soul is full of fear and questions about this whole affair.
This is just how I feel about the whole thing. I personally believe that these fears might not be rational but they are there. I am feeling these feelings. I just wanted to share them with everyone.
I would like to know if Tony is responding to the generic brand?
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