• What are Canadian prescriptions?
• Why is medicine less expensive in Canada?
• Who regulates Canadian prescription medication?

What are Canadian prescriptions?

Canadian prescriptions are medications which have been approved by HealthCanada (Canada's equivalent regulatory body to the FDA) for use by the more than 32 million Canadian citizens. All Canadian prescription medications have a DIN or Drug Identification Number which uniquely identifies a medication's strength and manufacturer. Prescription packaging and labels are in both French and English, the two official languages of Canada.

Why is medicine less expensive in Canada?

Prescription drug prices in Canada are set by the PMPRB (Patented Medicine Prices Review Board) which was founded in 1987. Its mandate is to ensure that prices charged by manufacturers of patented medicines in Canada are not excessive, report annually to the Canadian Parliament on price trends of all medicines in Canada and to report on research & development expenditures versus sales by patentees.

The PMPRB does the following:

• Existing patented drugs prices cannot increase more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
• Protects consumers by ensuring that prices charged by manufacturers are not excessive
• Only regulates patented-medications (A patent expires 20 years after filing in Canada)
• Most new patented drug prices are limited so that the cost of therapy is in the range of the cost of therapy for existing drugs
• Breakthrough drug prices are limited to the median of the prices for the same drugs charged in other industrialized countries (France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K. and the U.S.)
• In addition, the Canadian prices of patented medicines can never be the highest in the world

For these reasons patented Canadian prescriptions are less expensive in Canada than the United States. The PMPRB does not regulate the prices of generic drugs. That is why generic medications are less expensive in the United States than Canada.

Prescription Point offers you the ability to order your prescriptions from Canada and/or the United States. We always find you the best prices.

Who regulates Canadian prescription medication?

When a product is offered for sale in Canada to treat or prevent diseases or symptoms, it is regulated as a drug under the Food and Drugs Act. Health Canada's Therapeutic Products Directorate (TPD) is responsible for evaluating and monitoring the safety, effectiveness and quality of pharmaceutical drugs and other therapeutic products available to Canadians.

Health Canada's Therapeutic Products Directorate is the Canadian federal authority that regulates pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices for human use. Prior to being given market authorization, a manufacturer must present substantive scientific evidence of a product's safety, efficacy and quality as required by the Canadian Food and Drugs Act and Regulations.