General Information
BC’s PharmaCare helps residents of British Columbia with the cost of eligible prescription drugs and certain medical supplies. It provides access to drug therapy through several drug plans.
Although BC has a couple of PharmaCare plans that residents may qualify for—for example, Plan C for those receiving income assistance—most BC residents are covered under Fair PharmaCare. Coverage under this plan is based on your family’s net income. It is available to single people or to families. Register for Fair PharmaCare online. You need to register only once. Your coverage is updated on January 1 of every year based on your current income information.
Limited Coverage Drugs
The treatments listed above are available as limited coverage and non-reference drugs requiring special authority approval under BC’s PharmaCare. Limited coverage drugs are treatments that are generally not considered to be first line therapies or they are treatments that have more cost-effective alternatives.
Limited coverage drugs may also have certain conditions attached to them, such as a liver fibrosis stage F2 or greater. Please talk to your health care provider for more information or to start the treatment process.
Special Authority Access
Limited coverage drugs are accessed via the completion and submission to a review committee of a Special Authority Request form. The form must be completed by a specialist or an experienced physician. If granted, the specialist or experienced physician can write a prescription for the drug/s.
PharmaCare Covered Hep C Treatments
All drug used to treat hepatitis C are considered limited access drugs by PharmaCare. This means all hepatitis C treatments are accessed via a specialist or experienced physician making the Special Authority Request.
PharmaCare options in British Columbia are as follows:
| Targeted Genotypes | Additional Notes | PharmaCare Covered Treatment Options* | Possible Lengths of Treatment |
| 1 | These treatments are for those who have OR haven’t already tried treatment. Harvoni is the preferable treatment. | Galexos (simeprevir) taken in combination with pegylated interferon with ribavirin (PR) | 24 – 48 weeks |
| Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) taken in combination with pegylated interferon with ribavirin (PR) | 12 weeks | ||
| Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir) | 8 – 24 weeks | ||
| Holkira Pak (ombitasvir / paritaprevir / ritonavir + dasabuvir) taken with or without ribavirin | 12 – 24 weeks | ||
| 2, 3 | These treatments are for those who haven’t tried treatment (treatment-naive) AND who don’t have medical reasons against taking interferon. | Pegylated interferon with ribavirin (PR) | 14 or 24 weeks according to genotype |
| 2, 3 | These treatments are for those who are treatment-naive with medical reason against interferon OR are PR treatment- experienced | Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) in combination with ribavirin (Ibavyr) | 12 weeks for genotype 2 |
| 24 weeks for genotype 3 | |||
| 4 – 6 | Pegylated interferon with ribavirin | 14 or 48 weeks | |
| *Please see Comparing Hep C Treatments or the individual treatment pages for more information about the treatments and how one may be eligible for BC PharmaCare treatment coverage. |
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Treatments Approved for Use in Canada but Not Currently Covered by BC’s PharmaCare
New DAA treatments that are approved for use in Canada but are not currently covered by BC’s PharmaCare are:
- Galexos (simeprevir) + Sovaldi (sofosbuvir);
- Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) + Daklinza (daclatasvir);
- Technivie (ombitasvir / paritaprevir / ritonavir);
- Zepatier (grazoprevir / elbasvir).
If you have private health insurance, consult with a representative from the company to find out specific coverage details for hep C treatments. Many insurance companies follow the provincial PharmaCare coverage guidelines and only cover treatments that are PharmaCare approved. But check individual policies for details, as others cover treatments approved for use in Canada.
Our Financial Support page includes information about financial support for those interested in DAA treatments that aren’t covered by PharmaCare. The page lists all of the Canadian financial assistance programs.
Additional Treatment Information
While technical, the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver’s “Update on the management of chronic hepatitis C: Consensus guidelines from the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver” is an excellent source for anyone wanting to dig into current recommendations for hepatitis C management and treatment from Canadian experts.
General information about hep C treatment can be found at Hep C Treatment. Information about upcoming treatments currently under review for federal and provincial approval can be found at Hep C Drug Pipeline Treatments.