Local changes could lower drug costs

Re: “Get control of drug costs,” editorial, Dec. 19.

Your editorial on drug pricing raises important arguments for a national pharmacare program. Other countries have done better, sometimes much better, at controlling drug costs with the leverage afforded by a national program.

By focusing on the wildly expensive drugs for rare conditions and the piracy around repricing old off-patent drugs, we are ignoring an opportunity for local competition. Addressing prescription-drug pricing demands reform at every level.

A simple policy requiring each pharmacy to advertise their routine prices for everyday drugs and dispensing fees is needed. Patients assume there is some uniformity in pricing among various stores in the city, but there is not.

Trying to comparison shop after the prescription is filled is cumbersome, and most patients are not aware of the large range of prices. Pharmacists make price comparison difficult for a reason.

A simple survey today around Victoria would likely find differences of 20 per cent or more between stores for identical commonly prescribed drugs. Patients and prescribers are largely kept in the dark by the current “black box” system, and patients with private drug coverage usually don’t care about prices.

Competition at the local pharmacy level would leverage lower prices from the suppliers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. That would benefit all patients, our provincial pharmacare program and the private drug-benefit plans. A focus on the raredrug issue risks missing an opportunity for across-the-board savings and a much larger impact.

David Blair, MD (retired) Victoria