Reference price systems for prescription drugs constitute widely adopted cost containment tools. Under these regimes, patients co-pay a fraction of the difference between a drug's pharmacy retail price and a reference price that is set by the government. Reference prices are either externally (based on drug prices in other countries) or internally (based on domestic drug prices) determined. We ...

This issue brief provides an overview of Medicare's coverage gaps and the primary sources of supplemental coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. It focuses particularly on the Medigap market: the effects of standardization, recent premium trends and rating practices, and options for reform. It considers Medigap within the context of Medicare prescription drug proposals and efforts to reform the e...

According to data from the most recent edition of the Canadian Rx Atlas, Quebec was the province with the highest total spending per capita on prescription drugs. The difference between Quebec and the rest of Canada was 35%, which translates into $1.5 billion dollars of extra spending. This analysis explores the economic cost drivers of the higher level of pharmaceutical spending in Quebec. Whi...

This article describes the lengthy background and debate leading up to the passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). Full implementation of the prescription drug aspect of the law will not be completed for some time, and final assessment of its impact awaits a history yet to be written. Instead, this article summarizes the efforts of supporters ...

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical ads typically describe drug benefits in qualitative terms; they rarely provide data on how well the drug works. We describe an evaluation of a "prescription drug benefit box"-data from the main randomized trials on the chances of various outcomes with and without the drug. Most participants rated the information as "very important" or "important"; almost ...

Over the counter Medications Eye drops Misuse

Many children who take medications require them during the school day. This policy statement is designed to guide prescribing physicians as well as school administrators and health staff on the administration of medications to children at school. The statement addresses over-the-counter products, herbal medications, experimental drugs that are administered as part of a clinical trial, emergency...