TABLE 4.
Expenditure-weighted percentage of drugs listed (with or without restrictions) on nine provincial formularies, by therapeutic category, excluding special program drugs, 2006
| Category (total spending on related drugs) | BC | AB | SK | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | NL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antihypertensives ($3.1 billion) | 84 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 99 | 100 | 99 | 100 |
| Statins ($1.9 billion) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Acid related ($1.4 billion) | 100 | 85 | 100 | 85 | 85 | 100 | 84 | 85 | 84 |
| Antidepressants ($1.1 billion) | 96 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 96 |
| Respiratory ($0.9 billion) | 82 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 100 | 95 | 100 | 100 |
| Antibiotics ($0.7 billion) | 73 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 81 | 87 | 81 | 87 | 81 |
| Antipsychotics ($0.7 billion) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 92 | 100 | 99 | 93 | 99 |
| Diabetes – oral ($0.5 billion) | 84 | 86 | 84 | 87 | 78 | 90 | 81 | 87 | 86 |
| Opioids ($0.5 billion) | 97 | 97 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 94 | 97 | 97 |
| NSAIDS ($0.4 billion) | 97 | 89 | 97 | 99 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 100 | 100 |
| Anti-epileptics ($0.4 billion) | 89 | 89 | 91 | 91 | 85 | 91 | 78 | 91 | 91 |
| Bisphosphonates ($0.3 billion) | 99 | 100 | 99 | 100 | 99 | 100 | 98 | 99 | 97 |
| Hormonal contraceptives ($0.3 billion) | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 76 | 81 | 77 | 81 | 81 |
| Sex hormones – other ($0.3 billion) | 66 | 81 | 80 | 80 | 70 | 89 | 55 | 70 | 91 |
| Diabetes – Insulin ($0.2 billion) | 84 | 84 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 82 | 82 | 82 |
| BPH ($0.2 billion) | 45 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 90 | 45 | 90 |
| Antimigraine ($0.2 billion) | 96 | 96 | 95 | 92 | 2 | 95 | 76 | 96 | 96 |
| Anti-dementia ($0.2 billion) | 0 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 0 |
| Anxiolytics ($0.2 billion) | 94 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 89 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Erectile dysfunction ($0.1 billion) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thyroid ($0.1 billion) | 100 | 100 | 98 | 100 | 98 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Sedatives ($0.1 billion) | 96 | 97 | 23 | 96 | 23 | 24 | 96 | 90 | 96 |
Notes: Weights are based on 2006 national retail sales data from IMS Health. “Listed” combines restricted and unrestricted coverage. “Special program drugs” include drugs primarily indicated to treat cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, Gaucher's disease, pulmonary hypertension and thalassemia, as well as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and human growth hormone.
Provinces studied: British Columbia (BC), Alberta (AB), Saskatchewan (SK), Manitoba (MB), Ontario (ON), Quebec (QC), New Brunswick (NB), Nova Scotia (NS) and Newfoundland and Labrador (NL);
Authors' calculations based on national retail sales data from IMS Health, Canada Inc. and provincial formulary listings from the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Conseil du médicament.