Generics "cost same" in Canada as US

Generic prescription drugs in Canada and the USA are, on average, the same according to a major survey carried out by the University of Toronto. The report, entitled Retail Price Comparisons of Generic Drugs in Canada vs US: A Comprehensive Study, examined every comparable drug product between the two countries (207 in total). Between them they represented $1.3 billion of sales in Canada, or 56% of the total Canadian generic market. The study's main conclusions are that prices were 28% higher in the USA in 2000 to 2001, that in 2002 and 2003 they fell to 6% lower in the USA, but that since then they have reached parity.

The data was obtained by IMS Health, the world's leading source of prescription drugs information, and covered the periods from 2000 to 2005. Joseph D'Cruz, of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto said: "this study will provide policy makers with a clear understanding of pricing in the market they are regulating."

The study was funded by the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association and can be accessed from the CGPA web site: www.canadiangenerics.ca.