Medavie Blue Cross has appointed Hélène Lavictoire as its Ontario government executive lead. Lavictoire is joining Medavie from Telus Health, where she was a product director and general manager. She also managed a group of public sector programs, including the Ontario drug benefit program. Read: Medavie Blue Cross appoints VP of product, disability management Previously, […]
While insomnia is a disorder, it’s just as commonly a symptom, which most people and physicians don’t grasp, said Dr. Atul Khullar, medical director at the Northern Alberta Sleep Clinic. A lot of times, not sleeping is essentially the body breaking down because of a separate disorder, risk factor or residual symptom of a mental-health […]
Employers should be closely examining the underlying drivers of cost growth in their drug plans, according to a new report by Innovative Medicines Canada. “Typically, [plan sponsors] get their report at the end of the year, they’ll see a cost for their drug plan and they don’t know what’s driving it,” says Joe Farago, the […]
On Dec. 3, the 2019 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum featured sessions on rare disease, the pharmaceutical industry’s point of view, legal obligations in drug plan management and a deeper dive into drug programs. Capping coverage for plan members with rare diseases poses an ethical dilemma While high-cost specialty medications represent about 30 […]
While high-cost specialty medications represent about 30 per cent of drug costs, the total budget impact of rare disease drugs is less than two per cent, said Brad McCaw, associate director of market access at Alexion Pharmaceuticals Canada. Within the high-cost specialty market’s top 20 drugs, only one is designated for rare disease, he said […]
Pharmaceutical companies and private payers can interact in different ways to ensure the right drugs are getting to the right patients, according to Kathy Sotirakos, senior manager of market access and private insurance at Amgen. Real world evidence will help inform better decision-making from a predictability and outcomes perspective, she said during a panel at […]
As the landscape of Canadian drug plan management continues to evolve, several programs are being implemented by insurers and pharmacy benefits managers to help plan sponsors manage costs. Speaking on a panel at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum on Dec. 3 in Toronto, Ned Pojskic, leader of pharmacy and health provider […]
With Canada’s population ageing and research and development looking to produce medications that are beneficial for this evolving demographic, drugs are becoming more expensive, according to Mitch Frazer, partner and chair of the pensions and employment practice at Torys LLP. In fact, among all the countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada has the third […]
At the start of a new decade, it makes sense to look in the rear-view mirror to better understand where the industry is going. For drug plans, a crescendo of forecasts have predicted skyrocketing benefits costs, driven by high-cost drugs. That talk has only increased the cries for a national pharmacare strategy to make drugs more affordable. Looking back […]
Employees at steelmaker Ivaco Rolling Mills Ltd. in L’Orignal. Ont. have ratified new collective agreements that include improvements to their wages and benefits. About 400 employees who are members of United Steelworkers locals 7940 and 8794 voted this week to ratify five-year collective agreements. The new contracts include improvements to benefits, including long-term disability, vision […]