Evidence Network

Universal national pharmacare for Canada may offer a small personal loss for a few but a larger public gain

The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) recently published a report outlining the expected costs and benefits of a possible National Pharmacare Program – and it’s pretty good news for most Canadians. The pharmacare program that was assessed was one proposed by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health in 2016.  This committee provided the program’s […]

Pharmacare for kids

From Ontario’s lips to the feds’ ears A version of this commentary appeared in the Hill Times and the Huffington Post. The Ontario government’s decision to invest in universal drug coverage for those under 25 is a long-needed policy commitment that will help ensure the health of our next generation. As a pediatric oncologist, I see children […]

Four reasons Canada needs universal pharmacare and what Canadians can do to make it happen now

A version of this commentary appeared in the Toronto Star Ontario has just announced that they will offer a publicly funded pharmacare system for children and youth in Ontario. This is a small step in the right direction, one that is arguably most important for its symbolism in a national debate. Why just a small […]

Understanding the opioids crisis in Canada

North America is grappling with an opioids epidemic. British Columbia has even declared a public health emergency because of a significant increase in opioid-related overdoses and deaths. Dr. David Juurlink, Head of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Toronto, and Tara Gomes, Epidemiologist and Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital and […]

Facing some unpleasant truths about opioids

Over the past year I’ve lost track of how many times the opioid epidemic has, in one incarnation or another (Prince, naloxone, fentanyl, newborns in agonizing withdrawal and so on) found its way onto the front page news.

Pharmacare is for kids too

You are the parent of a sick child. You have a limited budget and you must decide to buy the medicine the doctor prescribed for your child or provide food and shelter for your family instead. What do you do?

Canada’s chance to catch up on drug safety for children

Almost a year has passed since an important report was released on ways Canada needs to improve medicines for children. The report was commissioned by Health Canada and undertaken by the Council of Canadian Academies after many alarms were sounded by experts in the community.

Four things needed to make pharmacare work for Canadians

A growing number of health professionals, patients, community groups and even politicians are calling for national pharmacare. But many Canadians likely wonder what pharmacare is and whether Canada is ready for it.

Why employers in Canada waste $5 billion a year on inefficient drug coverage

There is certainly a lot of waste in health systems, but one area that seems to have escaped close scrutiny is the waste in private drug plans in Canada. To put it simply, that waste is gut-churning.

Why an income-based drug plan is harmful to Ontario seniors

Ontario spends $11-billion per year on prescription drugs. Nearly half of this is spent on medicines used by senior citizens, a group that receives public subsidies for nearly all of their prescription drug costs in Ontario.