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Canadian Study Calls for Better Public Drug Information

May 19, 2005

A study published by the University of British Columbia has highlighted Canada's rising drug bill, and called on policymakers to better weigh the costs and benefits of relying on drugmakers to supply patient information.

The study does not call for a further inquiry into the drug industry's conduct. Instead, the author notes that Canada's government has seen its prescription drug spending more than double since 1997 to CAD18bn (US$14.29bn), but has not funded any systematic, independent monitoring of consumption trends.

Although a recent survey indicated that nearly 90% of Canadians believe their drugs are safe, the study asks if information dissemination by profit-driven providers may be substantially driving treatment options and outcomes. However, it remains to be seen whether the current mood of Canada's government will favour such calls for public information programmes run in tandem with drug firms' communications to patients.