FROM THE TEAM
Happy New Year to everyone, the team here at Cubic Health hope you and your family had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday season. Our first announcement of 2010 is an introduction to the newest member of the Cubic Health Team, Karleen Jung, who started with us late in 2009. She recently graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of British Columbia, and will be assisting us with analysis work and maintenance of our CHCDD. We look forward to Karleen becoming an integral part of our growing operation.
In this issue of our newsletter, we touch on two very different topics. One is regarding new evidence on the rise of prescription opioid use in Ontario over recent years and the associated rise in opioid related deaths. The second is about the economically optimal use of blood glucose testing strips in the management of type 2 diabetes. While they are very different topics, the fact that plan sponsors, insurers and benefit consultants are engaging in conversations about these issues is very encouraging. These topics go beyond the question of whether or not a drug on or off the benefit list. It is a discussion about how drug and devices are being used by plan subscribers and what can be done to ensure the quality use of these agents. Quality, in this case, means safe, effective and economic use of these benefits.
This new focus on quality (referred to by health administrators as the "Quality Agenda") is being driven by a number of factors, one of which is clearly economics. Where inappropriate utilization of drugs or devices occurs, so does the waste of scarce resources. The second is accountability. Both the government and the private sector are beginning to realize that they have a role beyond just paying for drugs and devices. The unfettered access by patients (or their prescribers) to any agent, at any quantity, for any length of time is not necessarily appropriate. Governments have recognized their need for accountability and the need to establish formulary levers that restrict access to certain therapies, and this realization is growing in the private sector as well.
Overall, this is good news for plan sponsors, as the Quality Agenda becomes more predominant, the better and more economically, drug plans will be managed.
To pass along any comments on Cubic Health Monthly, or to see back issues of our publication, please visit our website at http://www.cubichealth.ca
Sincerely,
Kyle MacNair, BSc.Pharm, ACPR
Vice-President, Clinical
| LATEST NEWS |
New Data on Hazards of Opioids
When used appropriately and responsibly, the opioid drugs (e.g. morphine, oxycodone, codeine) are powerful therapeutic agents for effective pain management. Unfortunately, recent evidence provides a reminder that these potent agents can have a downside if not used properly. Inappropriate utilization of these agents poses a significant safety risk to the Canadian population, a problem that has captured the attention of both government and researchers.
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| FOR THE PLAN SPONSOR |
What Value Is There In Paying For Diabetic Test Strips?
The growing financial burden of diabetes on the Canadian healthcare system is unlikely to be a surprise to anyone. However, what may be unexpected is that, of the total healthcare dollars spent on drugs and devices to manage this disease by the private sector in 2008, approximately 30% was attributed to test strips for self-monitoring (of blood glucose) alone.(1) Considering the number of diabetic drugs and devices eligible for coverage under most drug plans, the fact that a single product - and in particular, a non-medicinal or non-therapeutic one - comprises such a significant amount of the total drug plan spending in this area is something Canadian plan sponsors need to carefully consider.
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