Healthy Skepticism Library item: 302

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

MacAfee M.
Health Canada to get clearer picture of prescription drug sales, usage
Canadian Press 2004 Apr 18

Full text:

Health Canada will soon have comprehensive, up-to-date prescription drug databases that it hopes will give the government a better understanding of the drugs Canadians are taking and how they’re prescribed.

The department recently put out a call for an $800,000 licence agreement for access to several databases that track information such as monthly sales from the manufacturer to pharmacies and hospitals, as well as specific information about what ailments doctors are prescribing certain drugs for.

While the department has spent the last few years sampling various companies that gather drug information, it has decided IMS Health of Montreal is the only company qualified to apply for the one-year contract, which takes effect May 1.

A reliable, national drug picture is more important than ever to the federal government because drugs are now the fastest growing health-care cost, says Charles Mallory, acting director general of Health Canada’s applied research and analysis directorate.

“I think it’s critical the department have a good understanding of what’s behind those (cost) changes and go beyond just projecting trends but understanding the underlying dynamics,’‘ Mallory said in an interview from Ottawa.

Previously, the government relied on information that has been as much as two years old, or included only drug sales reimbursed by provincial plans, about 60 per cent of total sales.

Mallory said the IMS information could help the government chart a health-care policy that carefully balances rising drug costs with the long-term economic and health benefits.

“We’re getting some handle on the question of yes, we have higher costs but are we getting rising benefits even faster than the rising cost?’‘ said Mallory. “If we are, society as a whole may want to say we can accept those rising costs.’‘

One health-care policy expert said Health Canada’s initiative is a good step towards establishing a better policy.

However, Raisa Deber noted the federal government is limited in how it uses the information it collects because health-care delivery remains provincial jurisdiction.

“Unless the federal government is planning to introduce a specific drug plan, and I haven’t seen any indication they’re planning to do that, this is more of a backdrop of giving the sorts of information that it’s really not economical for the provinces to try to get on their own,’‘ said Deber, a professor of health-policy management and evaluation at the University of Toronto.

Deber said royal commissioner Roy Romanow and a committee headed by Senator Michael Kirby both stated in their recent health-care reports that governments need to do a better job of determining where the holes are in current drug coverage and how increased funding would be best spent.

IMS vice-president Gary Fabian said while Health Canada may still supplement the company’s data with information from other sources, the government will now have a more complete picture of drug use in Canada than it did when it knew about only those sales reimbursed by the provinces.

“If you’re going to base policy on using only 60 per cent of the universe you may be at risk of making decisions that are not entirely correct,’‘ Fabian said in an interview from Montreal.

“Where we bring tremendous value to the equation is by having a full and comprehensive database upon which sound decisions can be made.’‘