Ontario to delay drug reforms: report

Originally expected to come into force on May 20, the changes have now been pushed back until the end of spring to give Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews more time to review submissions from pharmacists, reports the Globe and Mail.

While it is almost certain that the legislation banning professional allowances will pass, the pharmacy industry won’t get a clear picture of what the impact will be until final regulations supporting the new law are released.

Draft regulations were posted a few weeks ago with 30 days for comments ending on May 8. The government is now reviewing public comments made on the proposed regulations and the final version with changes could come any day, says Rita Winn, general manager of Lovell Drugs. “Pharmacy has made commentary and given the Minister answers for reducing the cost of generic drugs without hurting our businesses. But we don’t know what will happen. It seems to be more about politics than anything else at this point.”

According to the Globe report, Matthews may offer some concessions to pharmacy, such as higher dispensing fees, but is unlikely to deviate from her plan to lower generic drug prices, ban professional allowances and offer compensation for pharmacy services.

More to come …

With files from the .