New schizophrenia treatment option now publicly covered in Alberta

Thousands of Albertans living with schizophrenia now have access to a new, publicly funded treatment option.

Thousands of Albertans living with schizophrenia now have access to a new publicly-covered treatment option that aims to improve health outcomes and help effectively manage the mental disorder.

The provincial government added VRAYLAR (cariprazine) to its health drug formulary this summer.

The atypical antipsychotic is already covered in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, and is now listed in Alberta as of Aug. 1.

For 67-year-old Barb Sarsfield of Calgary, the news is a reminder of how far treatment and conversations about mental health have come since she was first diagnosed.

“When it was discovered, I had a mental illness, I lost a lot of friends and nobody, not even my parents, believed that I was hearing voices in my head,” she said.

“But with the right support, there can be light at the end of the tunnel, and I think treatments like this are going to go a long way for Albertans like me.”

What VRAYLAR is and how it works

VRAYLAR is an atypical antipsychotic that has been used internationally to treat schizophrenia in adults.

Unlike older antipsychotics that largely block dopamine receptors, VRAYLAR belongs to a class of drugs described as partial agonists — molecules that modulate dopamine activity rather than shutting it down completely.

That distinction matters because dopamine is linked to a range of symptoms in psychotic disorders.

Dr. Toba Oluboka is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Calgary and head of the psychiatric outreach response team at South Health Campus.

He explained that emerging evidence and clinical trial data suggests the drug can improve both so-called positive symptoms — hallucinations and delusions — and negative or cognitive symptoms, such as social withdrawal, low motivation and difficulties with thinking and concentration.

“This medication is going to provide psychiatrists with the ability to actually help manage this population for better outcomes,” he said

Oluboka added that having more pharmacological options helps tailor treatment to individual patients, especially because responses to antipsychotic drugs vary and side-effect profiles differ.

“This is so important because we actually have to focus on how to get our patient to comply with the medications to prevent relapse because the relapse of the illness is what causes all the psychosocial drift and the functioning pigments that we see in this illness.”

“Education is also hugely important for our patients because they need to know that these symptoms are not their fault — it’s rather a brain disorder that we can manage.”

Alberta’s provincial government echoed those sentiments, noting that schizophrenia affects about one in 100 Albertans (about 50,000 people) and that the stigma of mental-health disorders should be removed.

“Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring Albertans have access to new and innovative drug treatments that improve health outcomes,” the Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services said in a statement.

“This new treatment provides an additional option for patients and families managing schizophrenia. Approximately 13,000 Albertans may be eligible for coverage, and since its listing, about 140 people have already received this treatment.”

Living with schizophrenia

For Sarsfield, her journey with schizophrenia has spanned decades.

She recalls the early years of her illness.

“My mom said when I was a little baby, I would be laughing and entertaining myself, grabbing at things that weren’t there,” she said.

Sarsfield says growing up wasn’t always easy and that she faced the stigma and discrimination that often follows a schizophrenia diagnosis.

She remembers one incident in the early 1990s at a ranch outside Calgary, when another guest overheard her speaking about her illness.

“She was screaming at the receptionist, ‘How dare you let those crazies in there, they’re going to kill me, they’re going to rob me,’” Sarsfield recalled.

“That kind of gave me a goal that if I was ever well enough and trained enough to do it, I would go to high schools or colleges or anywhere that would have me and tell them my story about schizophrenia.”

Coping strategies

Sarsfield says her coping strategies have been shaped by strong peer networks and support programs.

“My friends have been just gold. They’ve listened to me, they’ve talked me out of it,” she said.

“And the things that I can do, like if I’m watching TV and I’m getting voices and they’re getting nasty, then I just change what I’m doing. Distract my mind and read a book or do dishes or go for a walk.”

She now works with the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, giving presentations to reduce stigma and encourage families to seek support.

“What I can say to family and friends is absolutely to reach out and have open conversations about this.”

Mental-health advocates say public coverage of new treatments is critical, given the economic and social barriers faced by people living with schizophrenia.

Studies out of the Mental Health Commission of Canada show up to 90 per cent of Canadians with serious mental illness are unemployed, leaving many without the means to afford new therapies without public support.

For Sarsfield, the progress reflects a shift in how the illness is viewed in Alberta and across the country.

“We’re not always psychotic and we’re not violent,” she said.

“We’re ordinary people who happen to have extraordinary things going on in our minds.”