Life Before Pharmacare: Report on the Canadian Health Coalition's Hearing into a Universal Public Drug Plan features the stories told by people who appeared at the hearing.

Many, if not most of the people, who appeared called for a comprehensive, universal pharmacare program. Efficiency is one of the strongest arguments for implementing such a program. The Report states that the hodge-podge of programs that attempt to substitute for a program is not only unfair, it is also costly both in a financial sense and a social sense.

The Report notes that "according to Health Canada, only 15 percent of newly approved drugs are an improvement or a breakthrough over existing drugs. The other 85 percent are 'me-too' drugs, just a different version of what already exists, but at a higher price and with monopoly price protection for 20 years. Massive advertising and promotion campaigns create a demand for the 'new' drug".

It is clear that marketing by pharmaceutical companies often results in physicians prescribing the latest, most expensive medications when existing, less expensive brands would be just as effective according to the Report. In many cases, the older drugs are also safer than the less-tested recent drugs. Some people who appeared at the hearing told stories of changing treatment from the use of drugs to the use of vitamins and diet and the symptoms disappearing.

Why are doctors writing prescriptions for costly drugs when there are less expensive products that are equally safe and effective? "Some doctors are simply unaware of the costs", says the Report. "Another major factor is that doctors rely too much on information given to them by the pharmaceutical companies".

Michael Wolfish, Toronto