Pharmaceutical and insurance industries that could lose profit through lower drug prices are not happy that a pharmacare bill is planned for fall. They are speaking out and mobilizing their allies.
Health Canada’s new drug licensing proposal contains no mechanism for making fast-tracked medicines affordable.
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The federal government’s proposed Agile Licensing drug approval regulations mean Canada will have less information about the risks of new medicines, and higher costs.
You may soon be able to visit your pharmacist to get certain medicines without seeing a GP first.
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Don’t be intimidated by the package insert that comes with your medication. Learning how to read it can help you better understand how drugs work.
The pharma industry warned that if proposed new prescription price guidelines go ahead, drug launches would be delayed and ‘Canadian patients will be deprived of potentially life-saving new medicines.’
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The pharma industry claims lower prescription drug prices will mean less access to new medication for Canadians. It’s an old threat that pits profits against patients’ rights to affordable drugs.
It is illegal to share prescription drugs with friends and family.
Many counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs are sold online, and the bulk of them are being obtained without a prescription.
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Prescription opiods, stimulants such as those used to treat ADHD and the ingredients found in sexual dysfunction drugs like Viagra are some of the drugs that are being marketed to US consumers.
High insulin prices are leaving some people who need the drug without access.
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Products aimed at sexual dysfunction and weight loss were the most common dietary supplements that contained hidden – and potentially harmful – ingredients.
Canadian doctors don’t have easy access to newer antibiotics, and must prescribe older, generic treatments that are increasingly ineffective due to resistance.
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Generic drug names are often long, but they can tell doctors what type of medicine it is and how it works. But it’s brand names that appear first and most prominently in Health Canada materials.
Nearly 100 scholars and health care professionals are urging women to limit their use of acetaminophen during pregnancy.
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Tylenol has long been considered a go-to medication for low to moderate pain and for fever reduction, even during pregnancy. But mounting evidence suggests that it is unsafe for fetal development.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says teens should never consume energy drinks.
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Ending the opioid epidemic requires addressing not only treatment gaps in addiction and overdose, but also inadequate pain management.
Antibiotics do not shorten or reduce the severity of colds or flu, but they could produce adverse effects that make you feel even worse.
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Resistant bacteria aren’t the only risk posed by overprescribing antibiotics. A more immediate risk is side-effects and reactions, which a new review shows are surprisingly frequent and often severe.
The Biden administration can make significant changes in health care for Americans.
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When news reports tout a drug, people get interested, even if the benefits are unproven. Patient hopes, requests and demands can easily turn into real prescriptions in their doctor’s office.
Prescription drugs in the U.S. are so costly, some people skip their medications.
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Studies repeatedly have shown that health care in general and the high cost of drugs in particular are among the top concerns of US voters. But with coronavirus, the issue may fade from prominence.
During the federal election campaign, Liberals promised to take critical steps to implement pharmacare. Will they deliver?
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To implement pharmacare, the Liberals will need to negotiate with the provinces, and the mostly Conservative premiers are unlikely to make this easy. The insurance industry also has much to lose.
When people went to their GP asking for painkillers, they weren’t prescribed higher doses of codeine or stronger opioids, as some feared.
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When codeine became a prescription only drug in 2018, the number of overdoses dropped, our new research shows. But restricting sales of codeine is only one way to reduce harm from opioids.