AstraZeneca has agreed to acquire the rights to Actavis’s branded respiratory business in Canada and the United States for US$600 million ($749 million).
Pfizer has agreed to buy Hospira for about US$17 billion ($21.3 billion) to boost its portfolio of injectable drugs and biosimilars.
Shire is reportedly looking at buying U.S.-based NPS Pharmaceuticals.
Merck has reached a deal to Cubist Pharmaceuticals for US$8.4 billion ($9.7 billion).
Canadian employers that use drug plan management strategies such as pay-direct cards, generic substitution or dispensing fee caps can realize significantly lower healthcare costs.
Provinces with age-based drug coverage should switch to income-based plans to head off serious financial pressure over the next few decades, says a C.D. Howe Institute report.
An Institute for Research on Public Policy study says discontinuing seniors’ drug benefits is a step in the wrong direction. Provinces should instead provide full and universal coverage of prescription drug costs for all and finance the new programs through personal income taxes.
Providers and pharmacies come together around mutual goals, bringing new opportunities for benefits plan sponsors.
AbbVie's board of directors is recommending that its shareholders vote against the deal to buy Shire Pharmaceuticals.
AbbVie is reconsidering its acquisition of Shire Pharmaceuticals after the United States Treasury Department announced it would crack down on tax inversions.