Pharmaceutical cost control in Canada: does it work?
Governments in Canada have instituted mechanisms intended to control drug prices. These include the establishment of a semi-judicial body by the federal government to control factory-gate prices and of various measures at the provincial level, such as formulary management, use of generics, reference-based pricing, price freezes, and limits on markups. To a large extent, these measures have been effective in price control. Total drug spending in the country continues to rise, however; clearly, mechanisms other than price controls will need to be developed if drug spending is to be better managed.
Menon
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Institute of Health Economics, and University of Alberta, Edmonton.
D002170:Canada; D003363:Cost Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000639:trends; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000191:economics*; D005569:Formularies as Topic; D009313:National Health Programs; D015397:Program Evaluation