Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Quebec lifts freeze on prescription drug prices

From the Montreal Gazette:
The Quebec government is lifting its 13-year freeze on prescription drugs reimbursed through provincial drug plans.

Health Minister Philippe Couillard, who first announced the hikes in January, made it official Monday, saying the freeze was "unsustainable."

"You isolate yourself from the global economy and you end up paying the price," Couillard told reporters.

The increases go into effect on Friday for about 364 products, mostly generic drugs. The cost of about 754 products increased on April 18.

The overall criteria is that drug prices remain the lowest in the county, Couillard said.

A total of 3.2 million Quebecers are covered by the province's public drug plan, the rest by private plans. ...more

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