OBJECTIVES 1) To review SSRI prescribing patterns for children and adolescents in our hospital and provincial prescription database and 2) To evaluate whether prescribing practices are consistent with expectations, based on published evidence and practice recommendations. METHODS A PubMed online search was conducted to obtain all randomized controlled trials assessing efficacy of SSRI use in ...

BACKGROUND In 2003, British Columbia's PharmaCare programme implemented a drug reimbursement policy called Therapeutic Substitution, which required patients with acid-related diseases, primarily gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD), to make a medically unnecessary switch from their prescribed proton pump inhibitor (PPI) to the cheapest available brand name PPI (Pariet, rabeprazole sodium), ...

This study considers three questions: 1. What are the Canadian public's prioritization preferences for new government spending on a range of public health-related goods outside the scope of the country's national system of health insurance? 2. How homogenous or heterogeneous is the Canadian public in terms of these preferences? 3. What factors are predictive of the Canadian public's preferences...

Abstract Background Prescribing cascades are a source of inappropriate prescribing for older adults with dementia. We aimed to study three in Nova Scotians dementia using administrative databases. Methods Cohort entry Scotia Seniors’ Pharmacare Program beneficiaries was the date diagnosis. Prescription drug dispensing data extracted inciting medication and second treatment (cholinesterase inhib...

Background: To manage public expenditures in the mid-1990s, British Columbia implemented evidence-based drug coverage policies, including " reference pricing. " Industry lobbied against the province' s policy, arguing that reference pricing harms patients and that it is inconsistent with federal and provincial legislation. Researchers and the courts have studied and rejected industry' s claims....

INTRODUCTION Between 2010 and 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada issued warnings to healthcare professionals emphasizing the increased risk of muscle problems with high-dose simvastatin. OBJECTIVE To measure the impact of the Health Canada safety warning regarding dose-dependent adverse effects of simvastatin on prescribing of low, medium, and high doses of simvastati...

OBJECTIVE Benzodiazepines can be a problem if used for long periods, or in at-risk populations, such as the elderly. We compared the use of benzodiazepine and related prescription medicines in Nova Scotia and Australia. METHODS The Nova Scotia Pharmacare Program and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia were used to obtain dispensing data in comparable populations for all publicly s...