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Ontario

  • Price for top 10 generic drugs cut to 20% of brand price
    The Government of Ontario has announced it will reduce the price it pays for the 10 top-selling generic drugs from 25 percent of their equivalent brand drug price to 20 percent of the equivalent brand price.

    More information about the change can be found here.

  • High-income seniors to pay more for drugs
    The Ontario provincial budget, tabled last week, includes changes to the Ontario Drug Benefit Program that will see approximately 75,000 high-income seniors pay more for their prescription drugs by August 2014. The province estimates affected seniors will pay on average $665 more per year towards their prescription costs. The change does not affect single seniors with incomes of less than $100,000, senior couples with a combined income of less than $160,000, or any seniors living in long-term care facilities or receiving publicly funded home care. 
    The Ontario Government explained the changes this week in a news release, available here.
  • In collaboration with Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), the Ontario Ministry of Health and Wellness will allow for conditional expanded coverage of funded cancer drugs that have been reviewed by the Committee to Evaluate Drugs (CED) and where there is evidence demonstrating clinical benefit outside of its current criteria. Based on data it will gather on the drugs, the CED will make recommendations on whether or not the criteria should be permanently expanded. The CCO and CED will provide the Executive Officer with recommendations on which drug products will be considered for this new program. Program guidelines are expected to be completed in May 2011.
  • A Notice from the Executive Officer, dated March 23, 2011, announces the increase in dispensing fees, effective April 1, 2011.
  • A Notice from the Executive Officer, dated March 18, 2011, announces a new regulation under the  Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act (DPRA). Effective March 14, 2011, pharmacists in accredited pharmacies can refill existing prescriptions under specific conditions without further authorization from a prescriber, with the exception of narcotic drugs, verbal prescription narcotics or controlled drugs.
  • As part of its drug system reforms, the Ontario government adopted amendments to the Drug Interchangeability and Dispensing Fee Act (DIDFA) on June 7, 2010. Under the regulation amendments, drug products designated as interchangeable under DIDFA that are supplied in the private market and which are designated as listed drug products under the Ontario Drug Benefit Act (ODBA) will be required to be priced at a maximum of 35 per cent of the original product price, effective April 1, 2011. The only exception to this rule is if the price for the product under the ODBA is higher than 35% (due to an eligible exception under the ODBA), then the higher ODBA price applies. Note that this new pricing provision does not apply to Off-Formulary Interchangeable products.
  • The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has released Update W to the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary/Comparative Drug Index Edition Number 41, effective March 15, 2011.
  • The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has released Update T to the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary/Comparative Drug Index Edition Number 41, effective September 9, 2010.
  • The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has released Update S2 to the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary/Comparative Drug Index Edition Number 41, effective August 19, 2010.
  • Ontario has released Update R to the ODB Formulary, effective June 14, 2010.
  • Ontario has released Update R1 to the ODB Formulary, effective June 18, 2010.
  • Ontario has released Update Q to the ODB Formulary, effective April 23, 2010.
  • Ontario has released Update P to the ODB Formulary, effective March 2, 2010.
  • Ontario has released Update O to the ODB Formulary, effective January 5, 2010.
  • Ontario has released Update N and Update N1 to the ODB Formulary, effective November 19, 2009.
  • Ontario has released Update M to the ODB Formulary, effective November 13, 2009.
  • Ontario has released Update L to the ODB Formulary, effective September 30, 2009.
  • Ontario has release Update J to the ODB Formulary, effective June 23, 2009.
  • Ontario has release Update I to the ODB Formulary, effective May 20, 2009.
  • The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term has released a Notice from the Executive Officer, dated February 23, 2009, announcing that, effective immediately, the following additions/enhancements will be made to the drug submission status postings:

    • Diabetic test strips will be added to the single-source submission postings
    • Each single-source submission status report will include the date on which the submission has been deemed complete
    • A monthly report of all complete streamlined Off-Formulary Interchangeability (OFI) submissions will be added to the multiple-source submission postings
    • Drug submission status postings can be found at the Ontario Public Drug Programs website.
  • The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has released Update G to the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary/Comparative Drug Index Edition Number 41, effective March 2, 2009. Highlights of the changes include:

    • 6 new single source drug products
    • 7 new multiple source drug products - all are at or below the 50% generic price rule
    • 3 multiple source drug products listed as interchangeable under the Off-Formulary Interchangeability (OFI) drug listing
    • 40 adjusted Drug Benefit Prices (DBP) on existing drug products
    • 12 routine housekeeping changes, including reinstatement to active status of R & C Shampoo, Nix Dermal Cream and Kwellada-P

      Also, the following products have been approved for reimbursement under the Ontario Public Drug Programs' Exceptional Access Program (EAP)
    • EAP requests will be processed when the ministry implements the recommendation(s):
    • Celsentri - For the treatment of HIV-1 infection in patients with CCR5 tropic virus and evidence of virologic failure despite optimal antiretroviral therapy and documented genotypic (or phenotypic) resistance to at least one of each: NRTI, NNRTI, and PI.
    • Revlimid - For the treatment of anemia due to myelodysplastic syndrome with a deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality.
    • Eprex - For the treatment of palliative cancer patients, anemia secondary to MDS, anemia secondary to chronic renal failure, anemia secondary to hepatitis C therapies, and pre-operative use.
  • The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has released a Notice from the Executive Officer , reminding pharmacies and drug manufacturers that Professional Allowance Reports for the period of July 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 must be submitted no later than February 28, 2009. All reports must be submitted using the excel templates provided on the Ministry's website.

    The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has released Update F to the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary/Comparative Drug Index Edition Number 41, effective January 30, 2009. Highlights of the changes include:

    • 6 new single source drug products.
    • 11 new multiple source drug products - 10 are at or below the 50% generic price rule.
    • 4 multiple source drug products listed as interchangeable under the Off-Formulary Interchangeability (OFI) drug listing
    • 136 adjusted Drug Benefit Prices (DBP) on existing drug products
    • 19 routine housekeeping changes

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