BR Medication Costs – CP

Source: The Canadian Press – Broadcast wire
Jun 12, 2017

VANCOUVER – A new study of drug costs for common conditions such as high blood pressure and depression says Canada had the second-highest prices in 2015 when compared to nine other wealthy countries with universal health care.

Lead author Steven Morgan, a professor at the U-B-C’s Public School of Health, says Canada’s drug costs were compared to seven European countries along with Australia and New Zealand.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, compares drug costs for six conditions — high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, diabetes, pain, and gastrointestinal issues such as ulcers.

On the low end, New Zealand spent an average of 23 dollars per person that year, while Switzerland spent the most at 171 dollars per capita.

In Canada, the cost was 158 dollars per person.

Canada was also the only country in the study that lacked universal coverage of outpatient prescription medications.

Morgan says Canada needs a national drug plan.

He says it would allow the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to buy prescription drugs in bulk and lower prices to benefit people who currently can’t afford them.

(The Canadian Press)

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