Covering ‘essential’ drugs could save billions: researchers

New research suggests that providing universal coverage for more than 100 prescription medications could save Canadians as much as $3 billion per year.

A paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Monday says providing all Canadians access to 117 essential medications would cover gaps that currently exist in health-care programs across the country.

Many Canadians don’t realize that up to one in 10 people across the country aren’t filling their prescriptions because they can’t afford the out-of-pocket expenses, said Dr. Nav Persaud, a family doctor at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

“Most people don’t realize this is even an issue ... They figure there was some kind of government program already in place,” said Persaud, who helped create the list of “essential” medications.

“People who have access to medications tend not to think about it.”

Persaud said he and his team wanted to look at which drugs should be publicly funded, and used guidelines from the World Health Organization to come up with a list.

The 117 prescription drugs include anti-depressants, oral contraceptives, painkillers and medications for managing blood pressure and diabetes.

The new study shows the essential medications account for 44 per cent of prescriptions written across Canada, and that number grows to 77 per cent if drugs that are therapeutically comparable are also included.

Generic versions of the same drugs are offered at hugely discounted rates in other countries that have government funded pharmacare programs, said Steve Morgan, a co-author of the study.

The single-payer system allows an agency to negotiate the lowest-possible price for medications by ensuring that manufacturers get the supply necessary to justify offering the drugs at a low cost, he explained.

“That’s something that Canada’s system doesn’t do today, particularly for generic drugs,” Morgan said.