Wednesday, April 01, 2009

More than $547M spent on drugs

From the Fredericton (NB) Daily Gleaner:
More than $547.3 million worth of prescribed drugs were sold in 191 New Brunswick pharmacies last year, accounting for more than nine million prescriptions filled provincewide.

According to an IMS Health Canada report, New Brunswick was second, behind Quebec, in spending per capita.

At the same time, New Brunswickers are keen to purchase cheaper prescriptions, leading other provinces in sales of generic brands (purchasing 58.9 per cent of generics versus brand name drugs at 41.1 per cent).

Janet Cooper, senior director of professional affairs at the Canadian Pharmacists Association, said this doesn't necessarily mean New Brunswickers are paying more for prescriptions.

"You have to look at it from a much bigger picture and get into the details," she said, adding that people in the province may be getting different kinds of prescriptions that could in turn be more expensive.

New Brunswick had a prescription per capita rate of 12 for each person in the province last year, below the national average of 14. ...more

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