Drugs and the public cost of healthcare in Canada.

Summary

Author: Dr. Brett J Skinner, Ph.D.

Non-factual assertions about the impact of drug costs (esp. patented medicines) on the growth of health spending have the potential to misinform important policy decisions of Canadian governments including pending proposals for national pharmacare, a centralized government-run bulk purchasing agency, and even Canada-Europe trade negotiations. This report assesses the empirical evidence regarding the impact of prescription drugs (especially patented medicines) on the public cost of the health care system in Canada.