“The [College of Pharmacists of BC] has long held the view that such a ban would be in the best interests of the public’s health”
—Mykle Ludvigsen, Director of Public Accountability and Engagement, College of Pharmacists of BC
Pharmacy regulators in British Columbia and Alberta say they remain committed to ending consumer inducements for pharmacy services, but both colleges have put the controversial changes on the back burner for the time being.
In the fall of 2012, the Alberta College of Pharmacists (ACP) proposed banning inducements on the grounds that rewards, loyalty-program points and coupons can lead patients to make unhealthy choices and that they undermine the patient-pharmacist relationship.
“Pharmacists cannot provide the best care when their patients transfer from pharmacy to pharmacy in pursuit of inducements,” said the ACP in a backgrounder on the issue. The College also expressed concern about patients delaying getting their medication or interrupting drug therapy to capitalize on an upcoming inducement campaign.
The College invited feedback on the proposal and by early December, had received a flood of comments. Meanwhile, a public debate on the issue played out in the media, with some consumer organizations and pharmacies expressing opposition to the ban.
“Given the large volume of information received and the complexity of the issue, council has decided that they need more time to consider it before they proceed with any decisions,” the ACP announced on its website after a council meeting on December 6, 2012.
The inducements issue was on the agenda once again as the council met April 4, 2013, but the College still wasn’t ready to move forward. Karen Mills, the ACP communications director, told CPJ that the College would take more time to determine timing and the appropriate mechanism for implementing a ban—a government regulation, a professional standard or a component of the code of ethics.
In British Columbia, the government had prohibited inducements for prescription purchases covered by the PharmaCare program in July 2011. Last fall, the College of Pharmacists of BC proposed to extend the prohibition to all prescriptions, with the health minister having the final say on whether the ban would proceed.
As was the case in Alberta, the BC College received extensive feedback. “We received 13,000 e-mails on our overall package of changes, with the overwhelming majority of comments being on the loyalty points issue,” says Mykle Ludvigsen, director of public accountability and engagement with the College. “Most of those who commented opposed the ban.”
The BC regulator decided to hold off on sending the recommended change to the government and give it further review, Mr. Ludvigsen told CPJ.
“At some point, we can expect the College to move forward with the prohibition,” he adds. “The board has long held the view that such a ban would be in the best interests of the public’s health.”