# E-DRUG: New Drug Classes on Formularies (cont) **URL:** \ **Category:** e-drug\ **Created:** [November 8, 1999, 8:42pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-new-drug-classes-on-formularies-cont/6555 "1999-11-08T20:42:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joel.lexchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@joel.lexchin](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/joel.lexchin)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 1999, 8:42pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-new-drug-classes-on-formularies-cont/6555/1 "1999-11-08T20:42:19Z")
E-drug: New Drug Classes on Formularies (cont) --------------------------------------------- The provincial formulary in Ontario considers a drug whenever a manufacturer applies to have it put on the formulary. From my days on the committee that considered the application and made the recommendations to the government I can tell you that there were a number of factors that influenced our decision. Since the Ontario provincial drug plan covered drugs for people on social assistance and those 65 and over, one of the main things we considered was whether the drug was going to be used in these populations. We also looked at how well it compared to drugs already on the formulary for the same indication�i.e., safety and effectiveness. There was also a question of whether the committee thought that the drug was likely to be inappropriately prescribed. Finally, we considered cost. If a product was no better than something already on the formulary but was more costly then we would probably reject it. If it was better than the other drugs available and less costly that was a no brainer and we would recommend putting it on the formulary. The difficult question was when the drug might be marginally better but was more expensive. Under these circumstances, especially if we thought the likelihood of misprescribing was high, we would recommend that it be placed in a category called �limited use� which basically meant that the doctor had to fill out a form justifying the use of the drug before it would be reimbursed by the province. Joel Lexchin Joel Lexchin MD 121 Walmer Rd. Toronto, Ontario CANADA M5R 2X8 Phone: +416-964-7186 Fax: +416-923-9515 e mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca -- Send mail for the `E-Drug' conference to `e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'. Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'. For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.