Canada lags in publicly funded drug spending, study finds

From CBC News:
Canada lags far behind most of the developed world when it comes to covering the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and low-income families, a study suggests.

The Wyatt Health International Comparison report, funded by pharmaceutical companies, ranks 18 countries on access to new drug therapies.

Canada ranked 17th in public spending on pharmaceuticals, behind Finland, Portugal, Australia and Denmark, the review found.

“It is surprising that Canada ranks so low in comparison to these OECD countries,” said George Wyatt, the report's author. “This study raises several questions about limited access to and choice of medicines."

The findings underscore the need for a publicly funded, national pharmaceutical plan, Wyatt said. The group received a grant from drug companies to do the study, which he said did not influence the research. ...more