Women face unique health challenges throughout their lives — across most age groups, women experience higher rates of chronic diseases compared to men, said Neda Nasseri, pharmacist and product director of drug benefits at Desjardins Insurance, during a session supported by Pfizer Canada at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum.
Historically, women have been more likely to suffer adverse reactions to medication, she noted, in part because clinical trials excluded women until regulations mandated their inclusion in 1993.
Infertility affects one in six adults of reproductive age, with a 20 per cent increase in prevalence compared to 25 years ago, said Nasseri, recommending employers reimburse fertility treatments in their drug plans and consider links between obesity and hormonal disruptions that impact ovulation.
Even a small weight loss can restore normal hormonal function for women living with obesity, she noted. In general, she encouraged plan sponsors to accept current medical guidelines that recognize obesity as a chronic disease and ensure their coverage for obesity-related drugs aligns with their coverage for other chronic conditions.
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“Vaccines are one of the most effective preventive health-care tools,” said Nasseri, advocating that drug plan sponsors cover vaccines without limits. For example, vaccines for pregnant mothers can protect infants from serious illnesses by transferring maternal antibodies.
In addition, nearly half of Canadian women spend much of their lives in menopause, she said, with one in four enduring severe symptoms that lead 10 per cent to leave their jobs. Coverage for treatments like hormone therapy and osteoporosis medications is crucial to support women during this stage.
Plans sponsors that cover innovative new treatments can address disorders that disproportionately affect women, said Nasseri. For example, new Canadian guidelines for migraine treatment highlight effective new prescription options, while innovations in insomnia treatment focus on reducing wakefulness rather than inducing sleep, offering fewer side-effects and lower dependency risks. She also suggested that supporting women for menstrual pain includes new therapies, which for the first time, specifically target heavy menstrual bleeding and endometriosis.
Nasseri emphasized that women’s health challenges have broad-reaching impacts, directly or indirectly affecting everyone, including families, workplaces and society. In addition to supporting women, addressing these needs with comprehensive drug plans also reduces health-care costs and enhances workforce participation and productivity.
Read more coverage of the 2024 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum.