本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛a PMPRB report concluded Canada’s generic drug prices are too high — 19 to 31 per cent above prices in Europe, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. With generic prescription drug sales totalling $5.4 billion annually, experts estimate we are overpaying by more than $1 billion a year.
For example, Canadian generic drug manufacturer Apotex sells the anti-depressant venlafaxine to the U.S. for half the price it does here. Blood pressure medication amlodipine is bought by New Zealand for 10 per cent of the average price the provinces pay.
This is because instead of bargaining for the lowest possible price, Canadian provinces pay a percentage of the cost of the original patented drug. And in cases where there is only one manufacturer of a generic drug – with no branded version to set the price – companies are free to charge what they want.
“Despite governments trying to bring prices of generics down in Canada – we’re still paying two to three times as much relative to the best available prices in comparable countries,” says Morgan.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net