Drug Prices in Canada Fall 0.4 Percent; Prices Remain Below Those in United States

OTTAWA—Prices for prescription pharmaceuticals sold in Canada decreased, on average, by 0.4 percent during 2010, significantly smaller than the 1.8 percent inflation rate, and Canadian prices remain significantly below those in the United States, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board said June 16.

The 2010 decrease represented a turnaround from the increases of 0.3 percent in 2009 and 0.1 percent in 2008, and contributed to a decrease in total sales of patented drug products in Canada by 3.4 percent to C$12.9 billion ($13.2 billion) in 2010, the federal agency said in its annual report to Parliament. That pushed the share ...