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Inside the Pharmaceutical Data Tool's Numbers: Drivers Behind Canada's Pharmaceutical Spending.
Shveta Bhasker1, Sandy Morrison2, Jeff Proulx3
1Shveta Bhasker, is a senior analyst in the Health Spending, Pharmaceuticals branch at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) in Toronto, ON.
Healthcare Quarterly (Toronto, Ont.)
|June 24, 2026
Summary
Canadian pharmaceutical spending is rising, impacting drug affordability. The updated Pharmaceutical Data Tool (PDT) offers insights into cost-driving drugs and cost-saving strategies like biosimilars.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Pharmaceutical Policy
Background:
- Rising pharmaceutical spending presents challenges to drug affordability for Canadians.
- The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) developed the Pharmaceutical Data Tool (PDT) to address these issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the drivers of increasing pharmaceutical spending in Canada.
- To provide insights into factors influencing drug costs and affordability.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the updated Pharmaceutical Data Tool (PDT) with 2024 calendar-year data.
- The PDT is a public interactive dashboard providing data on drug costs and utilization.
Main Results:
- Identified key drugs contributing to overall pharmaceutical expenditure.
- Highlighted the role of factors like biosimilars and formulary coverage in cost management.
Conclusions:
- The PDT offers valuable analytical insights for pharmaceutical information users.
- Findings aim to support informed decision-making for better drug affordability and cost control.
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