In 2014, only a quarter of the 141 new medicines approved by Health Canada were included in public drug plans, ranking Canada 17 out of 18 on this front.
These are the findings of a new IMS Brogan report commissioned by Rx&D.
Read: Quebec ranks highest among Canada’s public drug plans
The 2015 Access to New Medicines in Public Drug Plans: Canada and Comparable Countries report finds Canada seriously lagging compared to other similar OECD countries in terms of public drug plan reimbursement.
“More and more, public drug plans in Canada are making new medicines available only on a conditional, case-by-case basis—resulting in more administration, longer wait times for patients before beginning treatment, increased paperwork for physicians, and most importantly, no guarantee that patients will receive coverage,” says Rx&D president Russell Williams.
Read: Private drug plans offer better coverage
The report notes that In Canada, 29% of cancer medicines were covered in public drug plans across provinces comprising at least 80% of the eligible national public drug plan population, ranking Canada in 16th place of 18 countries.
Canadian public drug plans placed reimbursement conditions on 90% of new medicines when measured across provinces comprising 80% of the eligible national public drug plan population.
Read: Why this U.S. doctor is moving to Canada
In Canada, 20% of new biologic medicines were reimbursed in public drug plans across provinces comprising at least 80% of the eligible national public drug plan population, putting Canada in 17th place of 18 countries.