Parkinson Society British Columbia aims to be an effective advocate for issues important to the Parkinson's community. We firmly believe that outcomes for Parkinson's patients can be improved through improved education about the disease as well as the development of a provincial strategy. 

In addition to our efforts to help improve knowledge of the disease amongst health care professionals, decrease waitlist times at movement disorder clinics and encouraging the proper management of medication, we are currently in discussions with BC PharmaCare about ensuring that individuals who need access to DUODOPA^® therapy are covered under their provincial health plan. 

DUODOPA^® is a levodopa and carbidopa drug combination delivered in the form of a gel through an intestinal pump. Rather than having to take a pill every few hours, DUODOPA's^® method of delivery provides a more constant "on" period, reducing disabling symptoms. 

This drug has been approved by Health Canada, and is funded under Pharmacare in nearly all provinces, excluding British Columbia. The cost of the drug is about $60,000 per year. In many cases, access to this drug is a matter of life and death. We are now publicly sharing the experiences of individuals with Parkinson's disease who would benefit from affordable access to the drug in a short video titled Advocating for Better Care: DUODOPA (WARNING: This video contains strong emotional material regarding patients' experience with Parkinson's disease, and content may be upsetting to some viewers).

Parkinson Society British Columbia would like to thank everyone involved with our advocacy initiatives. We would especially like to acknowledge the courage and resilience of the individuals who shared their experiences on camera. 

We need your help! Take action and help spread the word about this advocacy initiative. To find out how, visit our DUODOPA Therapy page.

For more information about our advocacy initiatives, please contact:
Jean Blake, Chief Executive Officer 
1-800-668-3330