Generic Drug Pricing and Procurement: A Policy for Alberta

In: The School of Public Policy publications: SPP communiqué, Band 2, Heft 1

Abstract

Canadians pay very high prices for generic drugs compared to international norms. The reason is not inefficient or uncompetitive generic drug companies, but provincial government pricing and insurance policies that are distorting the market. This paper by Professor Aidan Hollis, an expert in the economics of pharmaceutical markets, evaluates provincial government policies regarding generic drugs and proposes a new approach which could save governments and private insurers tens of millions of dollars a year.