In Canada, prescription medications are the second most costly component of health care, upwards of $29 billion per year. These costs largely reflect the treatment of chronic medical conditions predominantly cared for by family physicians, including heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and depression.
The ACFP is pleased to share with you the annual Price Comparison of Commonly Prescribed Pharmaceuticals in Alberta document. Authored by Dr. Mike Kolber, Tony Nickonchuk, and Jayson Lee, the document identifies generic products (generally cheaper) from brand name products, a 90 day cost for standard doses (unless otherwise noted), and Alberta Blue Cross and Indian Affairs coverage.
The document is grouped by medication class and then ordered by cost. Please read the introduction for further explanation and specifically how the costs were calculated. While this document is not exhaustive, it contains many medications potentially used by office based primary care providers.
2 Responses
This is a great document. Please keep up the yearly updates, and keep up the great work!
Many thanks. This document has been wonderful and indespensable to refer to in the advocacy work to promote drug cost transparency to physicians. Provincial formulary drug costs should pop up automatically when prescriptions are provided to ensure that patients can afford them and that doctors are empowered to provide cost effective care.