Canadian drug Prices "47% Less Than USA"

The prices of 90% of the 200 top-selling patented drug products are cheaper in Canada than in the USA at ex-manufacturers' prices, costing 47% less in total, according to a new international comparison of drug prices in 1994 by Canada's Patent Medicines Prices review Board.

Drug prices in Canada are kept down by the fact that about 35% of all products are purchased through provincial drug plans, says the Board, which also notes that the USA has no government agency to control prices.

The study found that internationally, prices of patented drugs in Canada were 11% below the median prices in other industrialized countries. Prices in Germany and Switzerland were 8% and 13% higher respectively, although prices in italy, France, Sweden and the UK were found to be lower.