In my last post, I explained how Canadian provinces are moving toward a model of “catastrophic” drug coverage instead of a pharmacare model more comparable to our “Medicare” system. Depending on the province, public coverage against catastrophic drug costs means that patients must pay between 3% and 10% of their household income before any public …
At this time of year, most Canadians are stocking up for the holidays. But a surprising number will also be stocking up on prescription drugs. This is not because they believe in doomsday predictions or because they are abusing the health care system. It is because, for a growing number of Canadians, prescription drug coverage only kicks …
Generic drugs may seem cheap, at least in comparison to brand name drugs. But Canadians pay more for generic drugs than people who live in many other countries. Last summer, the premiers of several provinces announced that they would attempt to take advantage of competition between generic manufacturers to drive down prices. The generic manufacturers’ …
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is a proposed free trade agreement currently being negotiated between Canada and the European Union. The negotiations have mostly been taking place away from the public eye, but since the leak of CETA intellectual property (IP) chapter, it has slowly garnered attention due to the provisions relating to …
At the recent Council of the Federation meeting, Canadian provinces (except Quebec) announced that they will begin bulk-buying different generic drugs to reduce health care costs. They also flagged the need to both expand and accelerate group pricing on brand name pharmaceuticals. This is a long time coming and a step in the right direction. …
When I present my research, a question I often get asked is “When will Canada support the pharmaceutical industry?” What do they mean? With sales of $41.3 billion in 2009 and net revenues of $1.3 billion, the industry would in all accounts appear healthy. Furthermore, employment in the pharmaceutical industry has increased by 12% in …
Concerns about quality and a fire at a Sandoz plant in Quebec exacerbated the current drug shortage in Canada. Many are asking why the shutdown of a single facility could threaten the nation’s supply of vital prescription medications. While federal and provincial governments have been eager to play the blame game, a shared sense of …
In an old episode of the Simpsons, Homer walks into a car lot and announces how much money he has to spend. After, a highly gratified dealer quickly inverts a 6 into a 9, a deal is made and off Homer goes to face further mishaps. This scene clearly illustrates how a consumer will always …
The Canada Health Act includes public coverage of services provided in hospitals and by doctors, but not prescription medications taken outside of hospital. Most provincial drug plans do provide some public coverage, but many Canadians lack drug coverage. In the last 25 years, prescription medications have become both more important and more expensive. Bringing prescription …
New drugs are developed every month, and doctors are continuously bombarded with information. Much of this information is provided by pharmaceutical sales representatives who visit doctors’ offices, sponsor lectures and give out medication samples. Are these encounters in the best interest of patients and the health care system? We went out to the street and …