Suzanne Lepage

2024 Face to Face in Drug Plan Management Forum: Balancing treatment, drug plan sustainability with ADHD in the workplace

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting up to nine per cent of children and five per cent of adults, said Marie-Hélène Dugal, manager of pharmacy benefit strategy at Medavie Blue Cross, during Benefits Canada’s 2024 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum. Diagnosis rates have increased among women and become more common […]

  • January 23, 2025 January 15, 2025
  • 07:59

2024 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum: Using drug plans to address women’s health at all life stages

Women face unique health challenges throughout their lives — across most age groups, women experience higher rates of chronic diseases compared to men, said Neda Nasseri, pharmacist and product director of drug benefits at Desjardins Insurance, during a session supported by Pfizer Canada at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum. Historically, […]

  • January 23, 2025 January 15, 2025
  • 07:57

2024 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum: Employer-provided drug plans drive healthy, productive workplaces

Private drug plans play a pivotal role in ensuring faster and broader access to medications for 27 million Canadians, said Joe Farago, executive director of private payers and investment at Innovative Medicines Canada, during Benefits Canada’s 2024 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum. The federal government’s new pharmacare plan is designed as a universal, […]

  • January 23, 2025 January 15, 2025
  • 07:53

Webinar coverage: A look at the full impact of alopecia areata

Hair — including eyelashes, eyebrows and body hair — protects the body from environmental factors such as temperature and also helps with how humans feel and sense things. In addition, people have a lot of their identity wrapped up in hair, said Dr. Kerri Purdy, a dermatologist, division head and associate professor at Dalhousie University […]

  • April 29, 2024 April 29, 2024
  • 09:00

Innovative drugs helping plan members manage chronic conditions

Many plan members with diabetes struggle with adherence to daily insulin injections and research has found the majority of patients wish they could achieve the same control over their condition with fewer injections, said Jacob Bonafiglia, medical science liaison with Novo Nordisk Canada Inc., during a panel discussion sponsored by Boehringer-Ingelheim Canada, Merck Canada Inc. […]

  • January 22, 2024 January 22, 2024
  • 07:59

Webinar coverage: Obesity a complex, misunderstood medical condition

Obesity has long been misunderstood and stigmatized as a lifestyle condition instead of a complex disease, said Rami Halabi, a medical science liaison with Novo Nordisk, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Novo Nordisk in November. The condition isn’t just a measure of size, but a progressive, relapsing chronic disease characterized […]

  • December 18, 2023 December 11, 2023
  • 09:00

Webinar coverage: The link between type 2 diabetes and obesity

“We’re now in a very exciting time where we have treatments with previously unseen capacity to improve the control of type 2 diabetes and help our patients manage weight,” said Dr. Sue Pedersen, a specialist in endocrinology and metabolism from Calgary, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Eli Lilly Canada in […]

  • October 18, 2023 October 16, 2023
  • 09:00

Rethinking risk management and the future of private drug insurance

With cost of private drug plan claims rising about 5.5 per cent each year, pooling is one solution that could be beneficial for benefits plan sponsors. “Theoretically, if these claims could be shared across a broader group, such as the complete private insurance industry, plan costs could be less volatile for individual plan sponsors,” said […]

  • January 23, 2023 January 23, 2023
  • 07:59

Striking the right balance between member access, plan sustainability

Plan sponsors face challenges balancing benefits plan sustainability while also ensuring their plan members have access to the care they need, said Marie-Hélène Dugal, manager of pharmacy benefit strategy at Medavie Blue Cross, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2022 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum in Toronto in December. Referring to Medavie’s claims data, […]

  • January 23, 2023 January 17, 2023
  • 07:58

Taking a holistic approach to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is commonly misunderstood and can reduce the ability of a person to function while impacting their quality of life, said Anjila Arora, director of pharmaceutical benefits at Sun Life Financial Inc., during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2022 Face to Face Drug Plan Management Forum in Toronto in December. Although ADHD […]

  • January 23, 2023 January 17, 2023
  • 07:57