Biologics – Benefits Canada.com

Head to head: Should private drug plans require biosimilar non-medical switching?

mdunne — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 12:59:32 +0000

While one side highlights how plan sponsors can contribute to biosimilar sustainability, the other touts the benefits to patients and the health-care system. Durhane Wong-Rieger, president and chief executive officer, Institute for Optimizing Health Outcomes The Institute for Optimizing Health Outcomes recently published a scorecard rating the biosimilar policy frameworks of European countries across seven […]

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CLHIA calling for increased access to VPLAs, prescription drugs

bwolfe — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 19:00:32 +0000

The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is calling on the federal government to permit standalone variable payment life annuities to pool participants from all registered retirement plans. In its 2022 federal budget submission, the CLHIA said VPLAs, as enacted, will only be available to members of very large defined contribution pension plans, excluding Canadians […]

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Mental-health, specialty medications driving drug costs in 2020: report

lbailey — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 13:00:39 +0000

Canadians’ health priorities are shifting as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, as claims for medications to treat mental-health conditions continued to rise in 2020, along with claims for specialty drugs designed to treat rarer, yet increasingly chronic diseases, according to Telus Health’s annual drug trends report. There were noticeable shifts in the utilization of mental-health […]

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2021 BPS coverage: Plan member use of specialty drugs on the rise with novel therapies

Jennifer Paterson — Wed, 26 May 2021 13:10:03 +0000

The growing use of specialty medications among plan members continued to drive the increase in plan sponsors’ drug plan costs last year, well eclipsing the increase in traditional drug spending, according to Telus Health. Canadian plan sponsors’ drug spending on insured plan members between the ages of 25 and 64 increased 3.6 per cent in […]

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New Brunswick expanding biosimilars policy in public drug plans

bwolfe — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 19:00:07 +0000

The New Brunswick government is expanding the use of biosimilars for certain chronic conditions in its public drug plans. Approximately 3,000 beneficiaries of the province’s drug plans who are living with diseases such as inflammatory arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes and psoriasis will have until Nov. 30 to switch from a biologic to the biosimilar […]

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Webinar coverage: Switching to biosimilars can generate savings, say early adopters

mdunne — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 16:57:07 +0000

With Canadian biologic drug sales growing at a rate of 13 per cent annually over the last 10 years, plan sponsors are looking for ways to manage the related costs — and the introduction of biosimilars may help. At a recent Pfizer-sponsored webinar hosted by Benefits Canada, “Evidence to Policy — Biosimilar Transitioning in Canada,” two […]

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How plan sponsors can contain rising drug costs in 2021

mschmit — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 05:03:22 +0000

With drug costs for plan sponsors steadily rising in recent years, keeping budgets down is top of mind as they plan for 2021. “The biggest concern for plan sponsors is sustainability,” said Shawn O’Brien, principal of data enablement and drug, health, dental product roadmap for Telus Health, in a press release. “They have to find a […]

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A legislative update on provincial biosimilar policies

mschmit — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 04:55:07 +0000

When the City of Toronto switched benefits plan insurers in 2017, it changed its coverage for biologics and biosimilars. Under its previous plan, the City reimbursed employees for the drugs their doctors recommended and prescribed; now, it follows its new insurer’s mandatory biosimilars policy, while grandfathering any plan member who was already taking a biologic […]

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How are insurers using block-level contract amendments to control drug costs?

mschmit — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 05:15:54 +0000

An upcoming Sun Life Canada drug plan change that will be implemented outside of plan sponsors’ renewal periods is calling attention to the practice of block-level contract amendments. Sun Life is set to implement the first phase of its reference drug program on Oct. 1, which the insurer says will help plan sponsors with drug plan sustainability by creating categories […]

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Mental-health conditions, specialty meds driving drug plan cost increases in 2019: report

mschmit — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 06:00:17 +0000

Private drug plans saw the largest yearly increase in their average eligible costs in 2019, according to Telus Health’s annual drug trends report. The report attributed the rise to a jump in the use and cost of specialty drugs and a growth in younger Canadians using medication for mental-health challenges. It also noted the repeal of the OHIP+ program […]

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