E-drug: Re: Prices of pharmaceuticals
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The Canadian system is somewhat complicated. When new patented medications
appear on the Canadian market there is a maximum introductory price set for
these medications by the federal Patented Medicine Prices Review Board
(PMPRB). The PMPRB also limits the rate of rise of prices to the inflation
rate. To get more information on the PMPRB you can go to its website
<http://www.pmprb-cepmb.gc.ca/>\.
However, payment for drugs is not done on a national basis but on a
provincial basis. That means that each province has its own formulary which
lists drugs that it will cover along with the prices that it will pay.
Formularies and prices differ from province to province, although prices are
usually quite similar. To see the prices in Ontario go to the following web
site and you can download a copy of the latest version of the formulary:
<http://www.gov.on.ca/health/english/program/drugs/odbf/odbf_mn.html>
Joel Lexchin
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Joel Lexchin MD
121 Walmer Rd.
Toronto Ontario
Canada M5R2 2X8
Tel: 416-964-7186
Fax: 416-923-9515
e mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca
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