Canada's provincial governments have, until relatively recently, provided virtually all seniors with generous prescription drug coverage. Managers of these programs have implemented a variety of policies to contain spending while ensuring access to necessary medicines. Some of these policies have been successful in temporarily slowing cost growth. However, the lack of comprehensive utilization ...

OBJECTIVE To compare the results of a randomised and an observational evaluation of the same policy that restricted reimbursement for nebulised respiratory medications in adult patients in a community setting. DESIGNS Cluster randomised controlled trial and observational time series with historical controls. SETTING Pharmacare, the government funded drug benefits plan for elderly people and...

at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. This article is based upon a report written by the author for Health Can ada. The au thor is gra teful for the assistance of Dr. Ingrid Sketris, Dr. Tim othy Pollak, Eleonar Hubbard, H olly R asky, and th e R esearch Group of the C ollege of Pharm acy at D alhousie Un ivers ity. The author w ould also like to thank Charles San ders, and research as...