One year after the release of the very popular documentary Lot-Lesswhich relates to the menopause of Véronique Cloutier and which calls for an expansion of access to certain hormonal treatments, Quebec announces that two bio-identical hormones will henceforth be reimbursed by the general drug insurance plan.
“We have clearly heard and listened to the concerns raised by women regarding the management of menopausal symptoms, particularly with regard to improved access to hormone therapy,” the Minister of Health said on Wednesday. Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, in a press release.
As of May 26, access to two bio-identical hormones, estradiol-17β in the form of a topical gel and micronized progesterone, will be facilitated for women who require this type of treatment to alleviate the problematic symptoms of menopause. Previously, only those with demonstrated risk factors could be reimbursed for this type of hormone by the state.
The ministerial announcement comes at the right time for the broadcast of the latest installment documentary, posted online from Wednesday on ICI Tou.tv and Véro.tv, and testifies to its snowball effect produced over the past year. A report from the show Investigation which sheds light on the real efficacy and safety of hormone treatments had also contributed at the end of 2021 to accelerating the pressure to increase access to bioidentical hormones. More than 260,000 people have signed the online petition “Loto-Méno: for access to bio-identical hormone therapy”.
In this epilogue, Minister Dubé is invited by the director, Véronique Cloutier, to propose concrete solutions to women who must pay out of pocket for these treatments deemed safer, but much more expensive ($80 per month) than traditional hormones.
Negotiations undertaken with the manufacturers of bio-identical hormones to reduce the cost of these treatments have made it possible to reach a favorable agreement, affirms Minister Dubé. “Manufacturers have responded very well,” he says in the epilogue of Lot-Less.
The National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services will also produce a guide for professionals to enable better management of menopause.
2.4 million women
In 2021, pharmacists filled more than 1.937 million prescriptions for bioidentical hormones, and 1.23 million for traditional hormones, according to RAMQ and INSPQ. This announcement could change that. The Ministry of Health has not indicated how much easier access to bioidentical hormones will cost and how many women could benefit from it. But the documentary Lot-Less estimates that the current bill associated with prescriptions not covered by the public prescription drug insurance plan is $24 million.
Easier access to bio-identical hormones could affect 2.4 million women in menopause and perimenopause, says Véronique Cloutier in the rest of her documentary.
Lot-Less not only caused a stir in the media, but also led to an unprecedented enthusiasm for these hormonal treatments, as evidenced in this sequel by several professionals, taken by storm by an influx of requests.
Reviled since 2002, after the shock wave caused by the vast WHI (Women’s Health Initiative) study, which associated traditional hormones with a 26% increased risk of breast cancer, hormonal treatments, in addition bio-hormones identical, have since been found to be safer by several “observational” studies. But the cost of bio-identical treatments means that only 23% of prescriptions are reimbursed by the State, the others by private insurance.
According to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC), the benefits of hormone therapy in general for women’s health would now outweigh the risks if treatment is started before the age of 60 or less than 10 years. after menopause. On the other hand, various studies and different professionals associate non-bioidentical or oral progesterone with an increased risk of blood clots or cancer. Several scientific organizations, including the SOGC, have not yet taken a position on this more specific question.