November was Eczema Awareness Month in Canada, and ESC was busy raising awareness and advocating for patients.

Throughout Eczema Action Week, ESC’s Executive Director Amanda Cresswell-Melville met with decision makers from drug plans across the country to raise awareness about the burden of disease and the desperate need for new treatments. She shared the quality of life impacts such as the relenting itch, sleep disruption, pain, dryness, and scarring related to living with atopic dermatitis.

Your stories also made an impact, and we thank everyone who joined us to raise awareness this past November. In fact, they are so powerful that more and more government and drug plan decision makers are paying attention.

We also have some good news to share! Dupilumab (brand name Dupixent®), the first biologic therapy for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD, is now reimbursed by public drug programs across Canada for certain patient populations who meet the specified criteria.  Provinces who have listed the drug now include Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and the list is growing as more provinces see the importance of this drug for patients and list it for reimbursement on their respective formularies.

We thank our eczema community for your bravery and honesty and are committed to sharing these stories carefully and respectfully. Your voice is the most powerful tool in our toolbox for making an impact for change.

“Decisions like the expansion of coverage for dupilumab through provincial drug plans are big steps forward for the AD patient community.” says Amanda Cresswell-Melville. “ESC thanks the individuals who linked arms with us to raise their voices and advocate, demonstrating and sharing the burden of AD and the critical need for access to new therapies. We hope this is only the beginning for our community.”

Want to learn more about how new drugs get approved for use in Canada, and why only some get listed on public drug plans? Check out ESC’s new resource that helps explain this complex process here: eczemahelp.ca/DrugDevelopmentProcess.

ESC reminds you that if you have any questions about your or your child’s eczema and/or treatment plan, to speak with a qualified health care professional like a dermatologist.

Want to find out how you can get involved? Visit https://eczemahelp.ca/get-involved/ to raise your voice with ESC.