Prescribed Drug Spending in Canada, 2019: A Focus on Public Drug Program

This report provides an in-depth look at public drug program spending in Canada, using the Canadian Institute for Health Information's (CIHI) National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System. Public drug program spending does not include spending on drugs dispensed in hospitals or on those funded through cancer agencies and other special programs. Public drug program spending increased by 6.8% in 2018, compared to an increase of 5.3% in 2017. The growth in 2018 was largely because of the introduction of Ontario Health Insurance Plan+ (OHIP+), which extended drug coverage to all Ontario residents age 24 years or younger. Three of the top five classes in spending were biologic drugs, with anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs, used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, accounting for the highest proportion of drug spending for the seventh consecutive year. The proportion of public drug program spending on high-cost individuals continued to rise. In 2018, the 2.1% of individuals for whom a drug program paid $10,000 or more accounted for more than one-third of spending (38.8%, up from 36.6% in 2017).
Source: Healthcare Quarterly - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research