FROM THE TEAM - Changing Landscape
It has been very interesting to observe the changes in the drug plan landscape in Canada over the past 16-24 months. The rate of change has been greater now than over the last 10 years combined. There is an enormous amount of opportunity to realize material savings in drug costs moving forward, and to reinvest portions of those savings into health and wellness initiatives - to address issues proactively as opposed to being chronically reactive.
All of the key stakeholders in this area are beginning to understand how unsustainable the current environment is for plan sponsors, and how their business models are being impacted by legislative change and evolution of the marketplace. There is now much greater willingness to partner to drive value for plan sponsors that has long been missing in the market.
When we realize that one tablet of a blood pressure lowering drug that costs 3 cents in the United States, but that same tablet costs 85 cents in Canada - it's exciting to think of the possibilities. When we observe that the Unites States has seen drug cost escalation in 2008 of just 1.3%, compared to 9% in Canada according to CIHI, it further increases the excitement of what can be achieved through better management. When plan sponsors realize what kind of budgets for meaningful health and wellness promotion can be created by better managing the drug spend, it changes their outlook on what is possible.
The best part of what has happened in recent years is that these opportunities are not just theoretical. The stakeholders and partners in the marketplace exist, and the solutions they offer provide an unprecedented level of opportunity for Canadian plan sponsors and their plan members.
It's an exciting time. The opportunities are tremendous. Stay tuned.
Sincerely,
Kyle MacNair, BSc.Pharm, ACPR
Vice-President, Clinical
| DRUG & DISEASE NEWS |
Preventing influenza in the workplace
By now, the entire world has been made aware of the H1N1 flu pandemic. Since the outbreak began in April, the number of deaths has risen to 99 (85 in Mexico, 11 in the US) out of 15,510 cases documented worldwide at the end of May.1 In Canada, 1118 cases have been confirmed, with two death. While these statistics are no doubt alarming, to put them into perspective, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 250,000-500,000 deaths from seasonal (epidemic) influenza every year, out of three to five million severe cases that occur. Within Canadian borders, Statistics Canada recorded 5,845 deaths from influenza and pneumonia (a common life-threatening complication) in 2005 alone.
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NOC Watch:
SIMPONIŪ (golimumab)
ADALAT OROSŪ (nifedipine)
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| FOR THE PLAN SPONSOR |
$4 Prescriptions: Will Canadians have access to what Americans have come to expect?
In the fall of 2006, Wal-Mart introduced $4 generic prescriptions in the United States. The program is set up such that there is a list of generic products where Wal-Mart would charge customers $4 for a one-month supply (or $9.99 for a three-month supply). This list is very substantial: it covers over 300 generic drugs.
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