Don’t confuse biosimilars with generic drugs, cautioned Dr. Ian Blumer at the 2018 Halifax Benefits Summit in September. While the terms may be used interchangeably, these two types of drugs aren’t the same thing, said the endocrinologist and director of the Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre in Whitby, Ont., during his presentation. “Generic drugs are chemicals. […]
The results of the ongoing renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement could have an impact on how much Canadians pay for their medications in the future, according to one expert. In an article originally published by not-for-profit media outlet the Conversation, Joel Lexchin, an associate professor of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto, pointed out that the […]
High-cost drugs accounted for 41.6 per cent of patented medicine sales in 2017, up from 8.3 per cent a decade earlier, according to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board’s latest annual report. Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor tabled the report, which also illustrated a rise in the sales of patented medicines in 2017. Sales […]
A positive attitude is the key to a long and fulfilling life with chronic disease, according to a man who has spent almost four decades dealing with rheumatoid arthritis. “The mental approach you take to anything in life and the perspective you have is absolutely critical,” said Jeff Aarssen, who provided a patient’s perspective during […]
A recent study examining the potential savings determined that, based on the uptake of available biosimilars in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, Canada could save between eight per cent and 43 per cent. Although Health Canada approved Inflectra, the first biosimilar for Remicade, in 2014 to treat a number of conditions, the drug […]
Orphan drugs represent a significant and growing share of new pharmaceutical entrants in Canada, according to a new report from the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. At 54 per cent of new pharmaceuticals entering the market in 2015 and 42 per cent in 2016, orphan drugs have seen a significant rise from an average of 33 […]
Canada could save an estimated $280 million a year in drug costs if biosimilar uptake here reached the levels seen in Norway, a speaker told attendees at a recent event in Calgary. “One problem with biosimilars is their uptake,” Andrea Staruch, a pharmacy services consultant at Green Shield Canada, said during a presentation at Benefits […]
From drug pooling to medical marijuana, plan sponsors have a number of issues to keep track of when it comes to their benefits plans. At the Face to Face Drug Plan Management forum in Vancouver this month, a panel of experts tackled some of the hot topics the industry is thinking about. Pooling: One concern […]
When RBC Insurance Services Inc. began offering pharmacogenetic testing to its group benefits plan sponsors and began a clinical study of the issue in relation to biologic drugs recently, it did so with a few things in mind. “There’s a number of issues we’re looking at as we consider how to approach addressing those issues, […]
The number of Ontarians using the Trillium drug program increased threefold between the beginning of 2000 and the end of 2016, according to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Between 2000 and 2015, the number of overall Trillium recipients increased 176,299 from 55,571. During the same time frame, the proportion of plan beneficiaries […]