Lower drug prices negotiated by the Manitoba government will save Manitoba families $3.7 million a year and save taxpayers $2.5 million annually as well. This announcement was made by Health Minister Theresa Oswald.
“Helping Manitobans get the medication they need is a priority for our government,” said Oswald. “The addition of these drugs to the formulary will lower prescription drug costs and provide more choice and significant savings to families dealing with medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, depression and HIV.”
The addition of 81 new drugs to the provincial pharmacare formulary includes:
- a new paediatric strength for Tamiflu, used to treat influenza;
- new strengths of the drug Prezista, used in the treatment of HIV; and
- new formulations of Saizen and Nutropin AQ NuSpin, used to help children who are growth hormone deficient.
The provincial government has worked to broaden the number of generic versions of prescription drugs, which save money for Manitoba families and reduce provincial drug costs, said Oswald. According to the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, generic drugs accounted for 65.1 per cent of prescriptions in Manitoba in 2011, the highest use of generics in Canada.
“Our comprehensive pharmacare program is nationally recognized and Manitobans have come to expect low prescription drug costs and enhanced treatment options,” said the minister. “With this enhancement to pharmacare, we’ve added 234 new drugs to the formulary since January. That’s in addition to the 121 we added last fall, giving Manitobans more choice and reducing costs. We have also negotiated even lower prices for many generic drugs over the last year, which will save Manitoba families and government over $26 million annually.”
Pharmacare is a universal prescription drug program for Manitobans, with benefits based on family income. It covers 100 per cent of eligible drug costs once the income-based deductible is reached regardless of medical condition or age.
More information about the Manitoba Pharmacare Program is available at: www.gov.mb.ca/health/pharmacare.
