MONTREAL, Sept. 10, 2024 /CNW/ - Pendopharm, a division of Pharmascience Inc., is pleased to announce that Octasa^® 800 mg and Octasa^® 1600 mg now have public coverage in most Canadian provinces.

As of September 2024, Octasa^® has been added to the following provincial formularies as general benefit: Ontario¹, Alberta², New Brunswick³, Newfoundland and Labrador⁴, Nova Scotia⁵, Saskatchewan⁶ and Manitoba⁷, as well as to beneficiaries of the federal drug plans for Indigenous people through the Non-Insured Health Benefit (NIHB)⁸ and Veterans Affairs Canada⁹. These provinces joined Quebec, which listed Octasa^® on the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ)¹⁰ drug list back in May 2023.

Pendopharm launched Octasa^® 1600 mg in March 2023, indicated for the induction of remission of moderate active ulcerative colitis (UC) in Canada. It optimizes the treatment options for patients suffering from UC treated with mesalamine. Gaining public reimbursement allows a greater accessibility for these patients, which represents an important milestone for Pendopharm and its partner Tillotts Pharma AG, part of the Japanese Zeria Group.

"Pendopharm is very pleased that Octasa^® is now reimbursed on public formulary in these provinces. We look forward to many more Canadian patients with mild to moderate UC gaining access to this treatment", says Jad Isber, Vice President and General Manager at Pendopharm.

About Pharmascience Inc.

Pharmascience Inc. is one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in Canada and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Pharmascience delivers high-quality medicines to over 50 countries worldwide. Pharmascience's global presence and agile business development model provide healthcare communities around the world with the high-quality Canadian medicines to respond to patients' needs.

About Pendopharm

Pendopharm, a division of Pharmascience Inc., is a leading Canadian specialty pharmaceutical company providing patients with innovative medicines that address unmet medical needs. Its areas of focus are gastroenterology, sports medicine & orthopedics, neurology and cardiology. Pendopharm has extensive experience and knowledge to successfully manage its growing product portfolio.

For more information about Pendopharm, please visit www.pendopharm.com.

For more information about Octasa^®, please consult Octasa^® 800mg and Octasa^® 1600 mg product monograph.

© 2024 Pendopharm, a division of Pharmascience Inc. All rights reserved

About Tillotts

Tillotts Pharma AG, part of the Japanese Zeria Group, is a fast-growing specialty pharma company with over 400 employees in Switzerland and abroad. Tillotts is dedicated to the development, acquisition and commercialization of innovative pharmaceutical products for the digestive system. Tillotts successfully markets its own products for the treatment of IBD and Clostridoides difficile infection (CDI) as well as in-licensed products in around 65 countries through its affiliates within Europe and a network of partners throughout the world.

The rights to the trademark Octasa^® are owned by Tillotts Pharma AG used under license by Pendopharm, a division of Pharmascience Inc. 

For more information, please visit www.tillotts.com.

About Zeria

Zeria Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., founded in 1955, based in Tokyo, Japan, focuses on R&D, manufacturing and sales of prescription drugs as well as OTC products. The company is listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Stock code: 4559). Zeria holds a leading position within the gastroenterology field in Japan and operates internationally through a number of subsidiaries. For more information about Zeria, please visit www.zeria.co.jp.

The information accessed via those links is valid as of September 6^th, 2024.

SOURCE Pendopharm