Pharmacare in Canada: Pediatric Perspective Flashcards
1
Q
Canada is the only high-income country in the world with universal healthcare that does not include ________.
A
Prescription drug coverage
2
Q
What does the “postal code lottery” mean?
A
- Public drug coverage is inconsistently available across provinces/territories
- Which province/territory you live in can determine if you have drug coverage
3
Q
Nearly 1/5 Canadians report not taking a drug in the past year due to _____________.
A
Prohibitive cost
4
Q
What are unique challenges faced by children with respect to prescription drugs?
A
-Vulnerable population
- Unique prescription drug needs
- -Rare diseases are more common in peds, so these “uncommon” meds need to be covered
- -Many kids need liquid formulations or flexible dosing
- -Since compounding adult pills into liquid form usually makes them taste bad, commercial pediatric formulations are preferable
- They have experienced regulatory neglect –> poor availability of drugs
- -It is expensive for manufacturers to apply for pediatric approvals, so they don’t bother
- -Thus, 80% of pediatric prescriptions are off-label
- -So any coverage that is limited to on-label indications is inadequate
- Significant return on investment that may not be captured by current assessments
- -Difficult to gauge quality of life in kids
- -Current measures do not consider the significant burden on the caregivers (pediatric drug therapy not only can improve the life of the kid but also the caregiver – and also means the caregiver misses less work)
5
Q
Recommendations re: prescription drug coverage?
A
- Need pharmacare that mandates universal, comprehensive, and palatable drug coverage for all children
- Need a comprehensive, evidence-informed (not just Health Canada approved) national list of pediatric drugs for inclusion in a national pharmacare program
- Health Canada should modernize process for pediatric drug approvals
- Government should support pediatric drug trials and cost-effectiveness research for kids
