Canadians' drug spending on the rise, CIHI says
16.05.2008 17:01
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- Source: cbc.ca
Spending on prescription and non-prescription drugs in Canada reached $26.9 billion last year, an increase of 7.2 per cent over 2006, according to data released Thursday. Canada has the second-highest level of total per-capita drug spending out of 20 countries with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). According to figures from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, total drug spending rose by $2 billion between 2006 and 2007. Spending on prescribed drugs was higher than for non-prescribed drugs, according to the report. "Spending on pharmaceuticals has become a major component of total health expenditure over the last 20 years," said Michael Hunt, manager of pharmaceutical programs at CIHI, in a release. "With an aging population, increased use of drug therapies and new drugs entering the market, spending on drugs continues to rise at a higher rate than overall health spending and faster than inflation." Prescription drugs are estimated to account for 16.8 per cent of total health spending, a percentage that has grown steadily since 1985. N.B., Ont. lead per-person spendingAcross the country, drug spending per person varied considerably in 2007. New Brunswick led with $910 per person, followed by Ontario at $878. Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan had the highest estimated growth rates in drug spending per person at 11.7 per cent and 9.3 per cent, respectively. The Northwest Territories (three per cent), Yukon (3.5 per cent) and Nunavut (4.8 per cent) had the lowest. In terms of public spending on prescribed drugs, coverage also varied across Canada. For example, while in New Brunswick this coverage stood at 32 per cent, in Manitoba it was 53 per cent. Overall, the public sector covers 38.7 per cent of total drug expenditure in Canada. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal Links$21B spent on drugs in Canada in 2006: reportDrug spending in Canada climbs to $25 B in 2005Canadians spending more for drugs: reportHealth HeadlinesVitamin D deficiency linked to poorer breast cancer outcomes: study00Women who are deficient in vitamin D when diagnosed with breast cancer may have a poorer prognosis compared to those with optimal amounts of the sunshine nutrient in their blood, a Canadian study suggests.Pharmacists unhappy about new morning-after-pill availability00The emergency contraceptive drug known as Plan B will likely be coming out from behind the pharmacy counter, a move the Canadian Association of Pharmacists is not happy about.Canada should fund IVF treatments: ethicist00Health-care systems in Canada should pay the cost of in-vitro fertilization for women having difficulty conceiving, says a University of Western Ontario medical ethicist. Long-delayed P.E.I. hospital information system launched00A clinical information system for P.E.I. hospitals is up and running following many delays and cost overruns.Ontario to resume coverage of sex-change operations00The Ontario government will soon pay for sex-change operations again, Health Minister George Smitherman has confirmed. Health FeaturesENVIRONMENTClassifying chemicals'Batch 2' up for reviewCONSUMERCalorie trackerVIDEODisaster diseasesClean water critical (Runs 4:44)HealthVitamin DBoning up on the sunshine vitaminVIDEOVitamin DDeficiencies linked to poor breast cancer prognosis (Runs 2:16)People who read this also read …
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