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What we want

  • A national pharmacare program that provides universal coverage for essential drugs and controls the rising costs that threaten the sustainability of public health care.
  • Regulations that put patient safety and health before the interests of the pharmaceutical industry.
  • Cancel regulations that allow drug companies to reap high profits by extending their patent protection.
  • A program that reduces the escalating costs of employee drug plans making Canadian businesses more competitive.

How the Liberals have failed

  • Drug spending hit $25 billion last year, up 145 per cent under the Liberals.
  • They have allowed drug costs to skyrocket while staffing and other key parts of the health care system have suffered.
  • They have allowed drug companies to introduce newer, more expensive drugs that provide little or no advantage over existing drugs.

Why the Conservatives are worse

  • A push for faster drug patent approval means the Conservatives will sacrifice patient safety and give more profits to drug companies.
  • The Conservatives will do nothing about rising drug costs.

What the New Democrats say

  • $1 billion annually to cover catastrophic prescription drug costs.
  • A national plan covering 50 per cent of medically necessary prescription drug costs above $1,500 annually per person.
  • Federal bulk purchasing of prescription drugs to lower costs for patients and employer benefit plans.