Community Pharmacy Responds to Government Plan to Further Lower Generic Drug Prices

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan 18, 2013) - Government heard the pharmacy community''s concerns about the potential risks for increased drug shortages, instability in the supply chain and the resulting impacts on patients, and have announced that they will not proceed with a national competitive bidding process for generic drugs.The Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores (CACDS) is very pleased by this decision.

Community pharmacy, however, is concerned by the provincial governments'' announcement of further reductions to generic drug prices. The prices of generic drugs have been dramatically reduced across Canada over the past few years. Some of these price reductions have not yet been fully implemented or their full impact known.

"Prescription drugs provide the greatest value to improving the health of Canadians and reducing future healthcare costs.We can overcome present challenges by working with stakeholders and government towards a common objective: improved patient care," says Denise Carpenter, CACDS President and Chief Executive Officer. "Prescription drugs are just one of the contributing costs to healthcare delivery and we call on provincial governments to consider the system holistically and continue to engage all stakeholders to develop solutions that increase access to health services and improve patient outcomes."

CACDS supports on-going collaboration in the development and implementation of provincial governments'' pharmacy patient-care initiatives.

In addition to safely dispensing medications, the provincial governments have, to varying degrees, enabled pharmacists to provide a range of healthcare services, including:

All Canadians benefit from collaboration between government and the broader pharmacy community. As the most convenient and accessible healthcare provider in Canada, community pharmacy has the potential to improve the health of patients from coast-to-coast.In the coming weeks and months, CACDS is prepared to work closely with government to optimize and maximize the contribution of pharmacy to the healthcare system.

About CACDS

CACDS is the national association advocating for community pharmacy in Canada. The retail members of CACDS operate nearly 6,000 pharmacies and employ almost 20,000 pharmacists.

CACDS provides its members with a wide range of services including representation of industry viewpoints to governments and stakeholders, authoritative research and partnership initiatives - all in the interest of enhancing the value of community pharmacy to patients and consumers. Visit online at http://www.cacds.com.

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Community Pharmacy Responds to Government Plan to Further Lower Generic Drug Prices