Prescription Drugs
Prescription Drug Prices in Canada
Research Report
David Gross, AARP Public Policy Institute
June 2003
The high cost of prescription drugs, combined with the lack of prescription drug coverage for many older Americans, has resulted in substantial interest in how other countries - particularly those neighboring the United States, such as Canada - attempt to restrain prescription drug prices.
In this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief, David Gross...
- compares and contrasts key characteristics of pharmaceutical markets and prescription drug coverage in Canada and the United States
- reviews evidence on the extent to which the price of a prescription drug purchased in Canada differs from the price of the same drug purchased in the United States
- discusses the key issues raised in critiques of U.S.-Canada prescription drug price comparisons
- identifies the factors that may contribute to any real differences in the financial burden of prescription drugs for older consumers
The report concludes with a short description of Canada's most recent efforts to control pharmaceutical spending and a brief discussion of the implications for the United States. (22 pages)
Pub ID: IB62