THE MONITOR

Canada is expected to spend $33.7 billion on prescribed drugs in 2018, an estimated annual increase of 4.2% for drugs, compared with 4.0% and 3.1% for hospitals and doctors, respectively. In 2018, $14.4 billion (42.7%) of prescribed drug spending is expected to be financed by the public sector, while the remainder will be financed by private insurance and individuals paying out of pocket. Drug spending is just part of the expected $253.5 billion in total health spending this year.

» Canadian Institute for Health Information