McKesson Canada President Paula Keays is appealing to the pharmaceutical and medical industry to improve accessibility to care and to unclog health care systems. “Work together and find innovative solutions for an issue that affects 100% of the population,” she urged at Canadian Club of Montreal on Oct. 28.
McKesson distributes one-third of drugs in Canada. The health care systems in this country are facing important changes that affect suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and governments alike, and that put pressure on the healthcare system, she says.
She urges industry actors to rethink their strategies because rising costs, growing drug shortages, such as that of the EpiPen in 2018, new technologies and the aging population will likely challenge the healthcare system in the long term.
Favouring accessibility to healthcare
Manufacturers are making great strides forward thanks to research and science. They are proposing increasingly unique and specific treatment solutions, but governments are still reluctant to pay for these new drugs, Keays continues. “Can we hope to market molecules at an affordable cost?” she asks.
Even though the government controls healthcare costs, they are still escalating, particularly in a market consolidation context. McKesson wants to demonstrate that covering the price of new molecules may be essential for some patients and may make an important difference. The drugs may cost more, but they can ultimately reduce health care costs because there will be fewer hospital patients.
McKesson believes that all Canadians should have access to the drugs they need regardless of income. The firm considers Quebec’s mandatory system exemplary. “It is not perfect but it creates an affordable and sustainable solution,” Keays says.
Pharmacists and pharmacies should also be permitted to deliver some forms of specialized care, she adds, and offer more services, notably provided by nursing staff.
