Drug prices fall but overall spending rises CMAJ 1997;157:502 © 1997 Canadian Medical Association In 1996 manufacturers' prices for patented drug products declined for the third year in a row, but Health Canada estimates that total expenditures for drugs still increased faster than spending in other key sectors. Drugs now account for 14.4% of total health expenditures in Canada. The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board attributes the increased spending to factors such as increased use of prescription drugs and the impact of prescribing newer, more expensive drugs. Patented drugs now account for approximately 46% of all drug sales. Send a letter to the editor responding to this article Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction au sujet de cet article | CMAJ September 1, 1997 (vol 157, no 5) / JAMC le 1er septembre 1997 (vol 157, no 5) |