From Canada.com:
The first Canadian case of swine flu that is resistant to the antiviral drug Tamiflu raises a red flag but flu experts Wednesday were still far from pushing the panic button.
The resistant virus was found in a Quebec man, 60, who was given a preventive dose of the antiviral as a precaution because he had a pulmonary condition. His son fell sick with the virus.
But the father also became ill and researchers at a Quebec City laboratory on emerging viruses and antiviral resistance discovered he had a new strain of drug-resistant H1N1 virus.
It's believed the virus adapted to the drug and became resistant. There is no evidence the man transmitted the resistant virus to anyone else and he recovered quickly without going to hospital. ...more
Showing posts with label Quebec. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quebec. Show all posts
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Jean Coutu to boost store size as loss widens
From Reuters:
Jean Coutu Group plans to increase the size of its stores by almost 9 percent this year as the drug-store chain moves to fend off rising competition in its home territory of Quebec.
The Montreal-based chain, which reported a wider fourth-quarter loss on its investment in U.S. drug store chain Rite Aid (RAD.N), said it plans to increase the total square footage of its stores by 8.5 percent to 9 percent.
It also said it has earmarked about C$80 million ($66 million) in capital expenditures for this year.
This was seen as a defensive move by some as Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada's biggest pharmacy chain, eyes the lucrative Quebec market and its growing prescription sales.
The largely French-speaking province is a highly coveted market because of the high number of prescriptions dispensed there -- an average 90,000 per drug store annually versus 40,000 elsewhere in Canada. ...more
Jean Coutu Group plans to increase the size of its stores by almost 9 percent this year as the drug-store chain moves to fend off rising competition in its home territory of Quebec.
The Montreal-based chain, which reported a wider fourth-quarter loss on its investment in U.S. drug store chain Rite Aid (RAD.N), said it plans to increase the total square footage of its stores by 8.5 percent to 9 percent.
It also said it has earmarked about C$80 million ($66 million) in capital expenditures for this year.
This was seen as a defensive move by some as Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada's biggest pharmacy chain, eyes the lucrative Quebec market and its growing prescription sales.
The largely French-speaking province is a highly coveted market because of the high number of prescriptions dispensed there -- an average 90,000 per drug store annually versus 40,000 elsewhere in Canada. ...more
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Drug costs smother health care in Quebec
From the Montreal Gazette:
Quebec spends far more on prescription drugs than any other province or territory in Canada – a factor that’s to blame for spiralling health-care costs, a new study reveals.
More disturbing, Quebec has gone from spending the least of any province on medications in 1985 – as a percentage of its total health-care expenditures – to the most last year, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
“This surprises me a lot, because Quebec had stayed within the Canadian average until 2005-2006,” said André Côté, a drug-policy expert at Université Laval.
“The spending is very high and hasn’t stopped going up.”
The study found that Quebec spent almost $963 per capita on medications last year, an increase of 8.1 per cent since 2007. By comparison, Ontario spent $924 per capita last year, up by 5.9 per cent.
The Canadian average was $897 per person. ...more
Quebec spends far more on prescription drugs than any other province or territory in Canada – a factor that’s to blame for spiralling health-care costs, a new study reveals.
More disturbing, Quebec has gone from spending the least of any province on medications in 1985 – as a percentage of its total health-care expenditures – to the most last year, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
“This surprises me a lot, because Quebec had stayed within the Canadian average until 2005-2006,” said André Côté, a drug-policy expert at Université Laval.
“The spending is very high and hasn’t stopped going up.”
The study found that Quebec spent almost $963 per capita on medications last year, an increase of 8.1 per cent since 2007. By comparison, Ontario spent $924 per capita last year, up by 5.9 per cent.
The Canadian average was $897 per person. ...more
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Study on cholesterol drugs raises ethical questions
From the Calgary Herald:
Quebec doctors are being offered $100 for every new patient they put on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs as part of a major, federally subsidized study that's raising questions about the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on health research.
Critics say the OBSTAT trial seems more about drug marketing than science, getting thousands more people to take an already popular medicine.
Statins are among the most successful medications in history, with Lipitor — Canada's top-selling prescription drug — racking up almost $1.4 billion in national sales in 2008. There is ample evidence that, by cutting levels of blood cholesterol, they lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people already diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
Whether they work well as primary prevention — for people who have high levels of cholesterol but don't have heart disease yet — is more debatable, though millions of such patients are taking them.
Considered relatively safe, the drugs can nevertheless cause muscle pain — sometimes severe — and other side effects. ...more
Quebec doctors are being offered $100 for every new patient they put on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs as part of a major, federally subsidized study that's raising questions about the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on health research.
Critics say the OBSTAT trial seems more about drug marketing than science, getting thousands more people to take an already popular medicine.
Statins are among the most successful medications in history, with Lipitor — Canada's top-selling prescription drug — racking up almost $1.4 billion in national sales in 2008. There is ample evidence that, by cutting levels of blood cholesterol, they lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people already diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
Whether they work well as primary prevention — for people who have high levels of cholesterol but don't have heart disease yet — is more debatable, though millions of such patients are taking them.
Considered relatively safe, the drugs can nevertheless cause muscle pain — sometimes severe — and other side effects. ...more
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Suit planned against drug makers
From the Montreal Gazette:
A Quebec consumer-rights association is planning an $8-million class-action lawsuit against eight drug makers of children’s cough and cold medications, claiming that they engaged in false advertising.
Option consommateurs contends that the companies knew all along that their over-the-counter syrups and chewable tablets did not relieve cough and cold symptoms in children under the age of six, as advertised.
“Those corporations sold drugs that are simply ineffective,” Maxime Nasr, a lawyer for Option consommateurs, said in an interview Wednesday.
“The labels for those products clearly stated that they were useful for children under the age of six when, in fact, that is not the case.”
In December, Health Canada ordered the companies to re-label antihistamines, decongestants, cough suppressants and expectorants for children under the age of 12. It demanded that the labels warn that the products not be used by children under six. ...more
A Quebec consumer-rights association is planning an $8-million class-action lawsuit against eight drug makers of children’s cough and cold medications, claiming that they engaged in false advertising.
Option consommateurs contends that the companies knew all along that their over-the-counter syrups and chewable tablets did not relieve cough and cold symptoms in children under the age of six, as advertised.
“Those corporations sold drugs that are simply ineffective,” Maxime Nasr, a lawyer for Option consommateurs, said in an interview Wednesday.
“The labels for those products clearly stated that they were useful for children under the age of six when, in fact, that is not the case.”
In December, Health Canada ordered the companies to re-label antihistamines, decongestants, cough suppressants and expectorants for children under the age of 12. It demanded that the labels warn that the products not be used by children under six. ...more
Sunday, March 01, 2009
McKesson withdraws offer for Uniprix after pharmacists fail to approve deal
From the Brandon (MB) Sun:
The sale of Quebec's second-largest pharmacy was scuttled Friday after independent pharmacists who own Uniprix Inc. rejected an offer from medicine distributor McKesson Canada.
The company withdrew its offer after the number of shares tendered by the deadline Friday didn't meet the minimum conditions laid out in McKesson's Jan. 19 offer.
McKesson said it will continue to support the independent pharmacy business model despite withdrawing the offer.
"Our desire to help the Uniprix Group succeed and to see further growth among its banners remains strong, and we wish to pursue our longstanding business relationship," stated McKesson Canada president Domenic Pilla. ...more
The sale of Quebec's second-largest pharmacy was scuttled Friday after independent pharmacists who own Uniprix Inc. rejected an offer from medicine distributor McKesson Canada.
The company withdrew its offer after the number of shares tendered by the deadline Friday didn't meet the minimum conditions laid out in McKesson's Jan. 19 offer.
McKesson said it will continue to support the independent pharmacy business model despite withdrawing the offer.
"Our desire to help the Uniprix Group succeed and to see further growth among its banners remains strong, and we wish to pursue our longstanding business relationship," stated McKesson Canada president Domenic Pilla. ...more
Monday, January 19, 2009
McKesson Canada makes bid for Quebec's Uniprix pharmacy group
From the Canadian Press:
Health-care logistics firm McKesson Canada has bid to purchase pharmacy chain Uniprix Inc. in a defensive move to preserve its distribution network in Quebec, industry analysts said Monday.
Financial details of the offer were not disclosed. Under the deal that had been rumoured last July, McKesson would acquire Uniprix's shares and member-pharmacists in the co-operative style chain would remain owners of their pharmacies.
The deal continues the recent growth in Quebec by McKesson Corp. (NYSE:MCK), a San Francisco-based pharmacy products distributor.
Last summer, McKesson bought a 270-outlet Quebec chain that operates under the Proxim and ProxiMeds banners.
"McKesson Canada is enthusiastic about the prospect of this transaction, which will strengthen our long-standing business relationship with the Uniprix Group for the distribution of pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter medications, and consumer products," McKesson president Domenic Pilla said in a statement. ...more
Health-care logistics firm McKesson Canada has bid to purchase pharmacy chain Uniprix Inc. in a defensive move to preserve its distribution network in Quebec, industry analysts said Monday.
Financial details of the offer were not disclosed. Under the deal that had been rumoured last July, McKesson would acquire Uniprix's shares and member-pharmacists in the co-operative style chain would remain owners of their pharmacies.
The deal continues the recent growth in Quebec by McKesson Corp. (NYSE:MCK), a San Francisco-based pharmacy products distributor.
Last summer, McKesson bought a 270-outlet Quebec chain that operates under the Proxim and ProxiMeds banners.
"McKesson Canada is enthusiastic about the prospect of this transaction, which will strengthen our long-standing business relationship with the Uniprix Group for the distribution of pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter medications, and consumer products," McKesson president Domenic Pilla said in a statement. ...more
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
LGH gets high-tech meds dispenser
From the Montreal Gazette:
The Lakeshore General Hospital has a new member on its pharmaceutical team: a semi-automated medication distribution system, much like a high-tech vending machine, designed to not only save money but to reduce human error.
"This machine can package medication individually, without human manipulation. This way, surplus tablets can be reused, representing approximate savings of $150,000 per year," said Pierre Gendreau, head of the Pointe Claire hospital's pharmacy department.
Hospital spokesman Louis-Pascal Cyr said that under the old system, patient prescriptions were prepared by hand for four to six-day periods.
"And if a patient left before those periods were up, we'd have to throw away the leftover medication," he said.
"With the new system, patient medications are prepared in sealed packets on a daily basis," Cyr said. "And that translates into less loss of medication," he said. ...more
The Lakeshore General Hospital has a new member on its pharmaceutical team: a semi-automated medication distribution system, much like a high-tech vending machine, designed to not only save money but to reduce human error.
"This machine can package medication individually, without human manipulation. This way, surplus tablets can be reused, representing approximate savings of $150,000 per year," said Pierre Gendreau, head of the Pointe Claire hospital's pharmacy department.
Hospital spokesman Louis-Pascal Cyr said that under the old system, patient prescriptions were prepared by hand for four to six-day periods.
"And if a patient left before those periods were up, we'd have to throw away the leftover medication," he said.
"With the new system, patient medications are prepared in sealed packets on a daily basis," Cyr said. "And that translates into less loss of medication," he said. ...more
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Teaching boycott planned
From the Montreal Gazette:
Quebec pharmacists frustrated by a serious staffing shortage held a special meeting yesterday to vote on a series of pressure tactics they promise will not affect patients.
The shortage is expected to worsen, which means patients will suffer, warned Linda Vaillant, executive director of the Association des pharmaciens des établissements de santé du Québec.
"We may not be able to give chemotherapy to patients and we don't want to get there," Vaillant said.
About 1,200 pharmacists work in Quebec hospitals and other health-care establishments. But hospitals need another 200 pharmacists to properly serve patients, Vaillant said.
Hospital pharmacists regularly work 45-hour weeks, often covering 12 days in a row, she said.
"The pharmacist is like the goalie in hockey. He has to make sure to stop the puck, to catch the error, the drug interactions, and adjust the dose. There's potential for increased medical error because of the intensity of the workload," she said. ...more
Quebec pharmacists frustrated by a serious staffing shortage held a special meeting yesterday to vote on a series of pressure tactics they promise will not affect patients.
The shortage is expected to worsen, which means patients will suffer, warned Linda Vaillant, executive director of the Association des pharmaciens des établissements de santé du Québec.
"We may not be able to give chemotherapy to patients and we don't want to get there," Vaillant said.
About 1,200 pharmacists work in Quebec hospitals and other health-care establishments. But hospitals need another 200 pharmacists to properly serve patients, Vaillant said.
Hospital pharmacists regularly work 45-hour weeks, often covering 12 days in a row, she said.
"The pharmacist is like the goalie in hockey. He has to make sure to stop the puck, to catch the error, the drug interactions, and adjust the dose. There's potential for increased medical error because of the intensity of the workload," she said. ...more
Monday, June 16, 2008
Hospital Pharmacists Shortage Getting Worse
From CJAD (QC):
The shortage of hospital pharmacists is getting worse: The association representing the province's 12-hundred-and-50 hospital-pharmacists estimates the system needs 220 more of them.
The head of the Association of Hospital Pharmacists, Linda Vaillant, worries that the shortage persists, while hospital needs are growing due to the aging of the population and the requirements of increasingly complex treatments.
She says the shortage isn't just affecting institutions in Quebec's outlying regions, it's causing problems in urban areas as well. ...more
The shortage of hospital pharmacists is getting worse: The association representing the province's 12-hundred-and-50 hospital-pharmacists estimates the system needs 220 more of them.
The head of the Association of Hospital Pharmacists, Linda Vaillant, worries that the shortage persists, while hospital needs are growing due to the aging of the population and the requirements of increasingly complex treatments.
She says the shortage isn't just affecting institutions in Quebec's outlying regions, it's causing problems in urban areas as well. ...more
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Quebecers denied easy access to morning-after pill
From the Montreal Gazette:
The emergency contraceptive pill Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, was approved yesterday as an over-the-counter drug across the country - except in Quebec.
While other Canadian girls and women - there is no minimum age requirement - will be able to purchase Plan B like they would Tylenol or vitamins, Quebecers will still have to consult a pharmacist and reveal some very personal information about their sexual activity.
Quebec pharmacists are not part of the national pharmacists' group that made yesterday's decision. They support Quebec's current behind-the-counter restrictions.
"It's not just another drug," Manon Lambert, a pharmacist who is registrar of the Quebec Order of Pharmacists, said. ...more
The emergency contraceptive pill Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, was approved yesterday as an over-the-counter drug across the country - except in Quebec.
While other Canadian girls and women - there is no minimum age requirement - will be able to purchase Plan B like they would Tylenol or vitamins, Quebecers will still have to consult a pharmacist and reveal some very personal information about their sexual activity.
Quebec pharmacists are not part of the national pharmacists' group that made yesterday's decision. They support Quebec's current behind-the-counter restrictions.
"It's not just another drug," Manon Lambert, a pharmacist who is registrar of the Quebec Order of Pharmacists, said. ...more
Emergency contraceptive to stay behind counter in Quebec
From CBC News:
Canadian women might soon be able to buy the emergency contraceptive drug known as Plan B straight off the drugstore shelf rather than having to ask for it at the pharmacy counter — everywhere except in Quebec.
The drug, commonly sold under the brand name Plan B, is expected to soon be as easy to access as Aspirin or nutritional supplements after the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) accepted a recommendation this week to change how the contraceptive is sold.
The proposal must still be approved by the pharmacy regulatory authorities of each province and territory, but if adopted, it will make the drug available off the shelf instead of behind the pharmacy counter.
In Quebec, however, the recommendation will not be considered at all since the province is not a member of NAPRA. ...more
Canadian women might soon be able to buy the emergency contraceptive drug known as Plan B straight off the drugstore shelf rather than having to ask for it at the pharmacy counter — everywhere except in Quebec.
The drug, commonly sold under the brand name Plan B, is expected to soon be as easy to access as Aspirin or nutritional supplements after the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) accepted a recommendation this week to change how the contraceptive is sold.
The proposal must still be approved by the pharmacy regulatory authorities of each province and territory, but if adopted, it will make the drug available off the shelf instead of behind the pharmacy counter.
In Quebec, however, the recommendation will not be considered at all since the province is not a member of NAPRA. ...more
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Coroner warns against flu drug overdose
From the Ottawa Citizen:
A Quebec coroner is warning consumers against the dangers of over-the-counter flu medication after a man died last year of an accidental overdose.
In a report tabled Tuesday coroner Andree Kronstrom said that Quebec City resident Yvan Houle died after taking more than the recommended quantity of guaifenesin, dextromethorphan, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. The first one is an expectorant found in cough syrup and the others are decongestants usually found in caplets to cure the flu.
Kronstrom said that 250 mg of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were found in Houle's blood after his death. A caplet usually contains 125 mg of ephedrine for 12 hours relief.
"We don't know what he took exactly and in what quantity, but the combination of those products is what killed him," Kronstrom explained. ...more
A Quebec coroner is warning consumers against the dangers of over-the-counter flu medication after a man died last year of an accidental overdose.
In a report tabled Tuesday coroner Andree Kronstrom said that Quebec City resident Yvan Houle died after taking more than the recommended quantity of guaifenesin, dextromethorphan, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. The first one is an expectorant found in cough syrup and the others are decongestants usually found in caplets to cure the flu.
Kronstrom said that 250 mg of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were found in Houle's blood after his death. A caplet usually contains 125 mg of ephedrine for 12 hours relief.
"We don't know what he took exactly and in what quantity, but the combination of those products is what killed him," Kronstrom explained. ...more
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Doctor faces limits on practice after morphine death
From CTV News:
Quebec's College of Physicians is imposing strict limits on the practice of a Quebec doctor who administered lethal doses of morphine to a terminally ill patient.
In a judgment released Friday in Montreal, the college's discipline committee says it will restrict Genest from clinical practice to protect the public....more
Quebec's College of Physicians is imposing strict limits on the practice of a Quebec doctor who administered lethal doses of morphine to a terminally ill patient.
In a judgment released Friday in Montreal, the college's discipline committee says it will restrict Genest from clinical practice to protect the public....more
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Pharmacist shortage dangerous: association
From the Montreal Gazette:
Quebec's hospitals are suffering from a severe shortage of pharmacists - a situation that could lead to medication errors, the president of a pharmacists' association is warning.
There are 1,250 pharmacists working in Quebec hospitals and other health-care establishments. But hospitals need another 200 pharmacists to properly serve patients, said Francine Lussier-Labelle, president of the Association des pharmaciens des établissements de santé du Québec. ...more
Quebec's hospitals are suffering from a severe shortage of pharmacists - a situation that could lead to medication errors, the president of a pharmacists' association is warning.
There are 1,250 pharmacists working in Quebec hospitals and other health-care establishments. But hospitals need another 200 pharmacists to properly serve patients, said Francine Lussier-Labelle, president of the Association des pharmaciens des établissements de santé du Québec. ...more
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Man pleads guilty to beating, locking pharmacist in trunk
From the Montreal Gazette:
Roger Grenier, who has a long history of violent robberies, doesn't remember much about his latest heist, in which he beat and robbed Outremont pharmacist Marie-Josée Caron, then stuffed her into the trunk of her car.
But yesterday, the 54-year-old Grenier, fresh from a psychiatric evaluation at the Philippe Pinel Institute, pleaded guilty to forcible confinement, armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a prohibited weapon. ...more
Roger Grenier, who has a long history of violent robberies, doesn't remember much about his latest heist, in which he beat and robbed Outremont pharmacist Marie-Josée Caron, then stuffed her into the trunk of her car.
But yesterday, the 54-year-old Grenier, fresh from a psychiatric evaluation at the Philippe Pinel Institute, pleaded guilty to forcible confinement, armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a prohibited weapon. ...more
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Shoppers Drug Mart buys seven-store pharmacy chain in Quebec City
From Canada East:
Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. (TSX:SC) is increasing its presence in the Quebec City area.
A subsidiary of Shoppers has bought the assets of Centre d'Escomptes Racine, a long established pharmacy chain, Canada's biggest drug store operator announced Tuesday.
No financial terms were revealed for the sale of the seven-store chain to Pharmaprix Inc., Shoppers' wholly owned Quebec-based unit, according to a release.
The acquisition of the stores boosts Pharmaprix's outlets to nine from two in the area. ...more
Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. (TSX:SC) is increasing its presence in the Quebec City area.
A subsidiary of Shoppers has bought the assets of Centre d'Escomptes Racine, a long established pharmacy chain, Canada's biggest drug store operator announced Tuesday.
No financial terms were revealed for the sale of the seven-store chain to Pharmaprix Inc., Shoppers' wholly owned Quebec-based unit, according to a release.
The acquisition of the stores boosts Pharmaprix's outlets to nine from two in the area. ...more
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Judge tells Genpharm to keep arms length from sales firm
From the Montreal Gazette:
A major Canadian drug manufacturer has been told to keep its hands off the employees and clients of the company handling its Quebec sales.
A Quebec Superior Court judge yesterday ordered Genpharm Inc. to continue paying Louis Pilon's Brossard-based sales company and to cease communicating with his clients.
Pilon, president of Gennium Pharmaceutical Products Inc., has alleged that Genpharm breached the terms of their decade-long business arrangement after less than three years - even though his efforts led to record sales during April, May and June. ...more
A major Canadian drug manufacturer has been told to keep its hands off the employees and clients of the company handling its Quebec sales.
A Quebec Superior Court judge yesterday ordered Genpharm Inc. to continue paying Louis Pilon's Brossard-based sales company and to cease communicating with his clients.
Pilon, president of Gennium Pharmaceutical Products Inc., has alleged that Genpharm breached the terms of their decade-long business arrangement after less than three years - even though his efforts led to record sales during April, May and June. ...more
Jean Coutu to retire again as CEO of pharmacy chain after closing U.S. sale
From CBC News:
Jean Coutu has no plans to permanently hang up his ubiquitous white lab coat even as he once again hands the management reins of the drugstore chain he founded 38 years ago to his son Francois.
"He will remain as chairman of the board and he always likes to wear his white jacket, anyhow," Francois said in an interview Friday after the company released its fourth-quarter and 2007 fiscal year results.
The Montreal-area pharmacy chain posted a US$6.9-million quarterly net loss, but earned US$140.8 million for the year.
Francois will assume the title of chief executive officer after the annual meeting in October. It was a position he held in 2002 before relinquishing it three years later as he was demoted to president and head of Canadian operations amid problems in a massive U.S. acquisition. ...more
Jean Coutu has no plans to permanently hang up his ubiquitous white lab coat even as he once again hands the management reins of the drugstore chain he founded 38 years ago to his son Francois.
"He will remain as chairman of the board and he always likes to wear his white jacket, anyhow," Francois said in an interview Friday after the company released its fourth-quarter and 2007 fiscal year results.
The Montreal-area pharmacy chain posted a US$6.9-million quarterly net loss, but earned US$140.8 million for the year.
Francois will assume the title of chief executive officer after the annual meeting in October. It was a position he held in 2002 before relinquishing it three years later as he was demoted to president and head of Canadian operations amid problems in a massive U.S. acquisition. ...more
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
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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