Individuals studying to be pharmacy assistants may soon have to adjust to providing more prescriptions for generic medications, as a new policy will drastically lower the prices for these drugs in British Columbia, The Province reports.
According to IMS Health Canada, 61 per cent of all current prescriptions are for generic drugs as opposed to brand names. However, this chunk of the industry only accounts for 24 per cent of the total amount spent on prescriptions. The other 76 per cent goes toward brand-name drugs, which usually have the exact same ingredients and clinical effect as their generic counterparts, The Vancouver Sun reports.
"This regulation is going to make a difference and lower costs for our provincial drug plan called Pharmacare," B.C. Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid told The Province. "We're estimating about $110 million in savings for taxpayers over the next two years, starting April 1 next year."
The change will give B.C. the lowest drug prices in all of Canada, eventually saving the province and its citizens money, the news source reports.
Students who are interested in pursuing roles as pharmacy assistants can enroll in pharmacy assistant courses at Vancouver Career College. To find out more information, fill out the form on the right.