Generic drug competition benefits Ontarians

Generic drug competition benefits Ontarians TORONTO, Nov. 26 /CNW/ - Following yesterday's release of the Competition
Bureau's report, "Benefiting from Generic Drug Competition in Canada: The Way
Forward," the Ontario Pharmacists' Association (OPA) is emphasizing that
competition in the generic drugs industry is already benefiting Ontarians
through accessible, high quality, cost-effective professional pharmacy care.
"The current pharmacy funding model in Ontario is feasible because
professional allowances provided to pharmacies by generic drug manufacturers
subsidize the provision of dispensing services," said Dennis Darby, Chief
Executive Officer of OPA.
"These professional allowances also help pharmacists provide other
pharmacy professional services such as continuing education programs; clinic
days including flu shot, asthma clinics and diabetes management clinics;
public education days for health protection and promotion activities;
compliance packaging that assists patients with complicated medication
regimes; disease management and prevention initiatives such as patient
information material and services, blood pressure monitoring, blood glucose
meter training, asthma management and smoking cessation; private counseling
areas; and hospital in-patient or long-term care home resident clinical
pharmacy services, such as medication reconciliation initiatives."
In Ontario, the role that professional allowances play was addressed in
the Transparent Drug Systems for Patients Act, 2006. The Act requires
pharmacies to use professional allowances for direct patient care, and report
regularly to government on how these funds are being used.
Currently, the funding received for pharmacy services from public or
private drug plans is much lower than the cost to pharmacies for providing
those services.
The "Costs of Ontario Community Pharmacy Services - 2008" study of 505
community pharmacies in the province found the median cost to provide pharmacy
services was $13.77 per prescription. By comparison, Ontario Drug Benefit
Program (ODBP) pharmacy compensation averages $8.70 per prescription,
according to current data.(1)
"The current framework for the compensation of pharmacy services is not
sustainable or economically viable and needs to be modernized," Darby said.
"OPA and other organizations are working closely with the Ontario government
and others to find solutions that will enable pharmacists to continue to
provide the best care possible for patients."
The Ontario Pharmacists' Association is the professional advocacy
association representing the views and interests of more than 11,000
practicing pharmacists and pharmacists-in-training