Pharmacy & Formulary

Kidney patients have complicated medication regimens that change frequently, reflecting the acute and dynamic nature of their health status.

Aspects of a kidney patient’s health status may include hypertension, serum electrolytes abnormalities and anemia. The average dialysis patient is on twelve medications, but this number can easily exceed twenty if there are additional disease states such as heart disease or diabetes.

In addition to funding medications for patients registered with BCPRA, the BCPRA provides a number of resources related to medications and pain management:

• BCPRA’s Renal Formulary is a list of medications essential in the care and treatment of patients with kidney disease. As of Feb 2008, the formulary has been separated into a Dialysis Formulary and a Formulary for Kidney Patients Not on Dialysis depending on the patient's condition. It has been developed by the Pharmacy & Formulary Review Committee. 
• The Pharmacy & Formulary Review Committee makes recommendations regarding medications (Also see BCPRA’s Criteria for Use of Sevelamer and Criteria for Use Cinacalcet)
• BCPRA partners with a number of community pharmacies to provide closer-to-home services for patients registered with BCPRA.
• The renal community is engaging in medication reconciliation, a project designed to decrease the number of medication errors.
• BCPRA has developed a series of medication info sheets.