Each public drug plan provided by the federal, provincial, or territorial governments covers medication differently. Access to standard care drugs depends on where patients live. 

You'll see that some are considered "Special Access" or "Restricted Access" which means they usually require you to have tried (and 'failed') other therapies first and require your doctor to send some forms in to the Ministry of Health or to the Health Authority for approval. In this case, your dermatologist or rheumatologist may require access to your medical records. 

Some provinces have implemented a biosimilar policy, where the public drug plan will cover the cost of biosimilars and not the originator drug. If you live in a province affected by this policy, talk with your doctor about treatment implications. Switching from an originator biologic to its biosimilar version has been shown to be safe and effective.  

The following table details which medications are covered and what criteria have to be met for people covered by public drug plans.

Table: Funding status by province of medications to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

• Yes - Public health coverage is available for this medication. If you are not currently registered for public health coverage in your province or if you have questions about your eligibility, please talk to your pharmacist.
• No-Public health coverage is not available for this medication; however, it may be covered by some private health plans. 
• SA (aka “Special Authorization”, “Limited Use”, or Exceptional Drug Status”) àThis medication requires patients to meet specific criteria to be eligible for coverage. Your doctor may need to complete certain forms or documentation to apply for coverage. 
• N/A - This medication is not on the provincial formulary or information is not available

Psoriasis