According to a recently released report comparing international usage of prescription drugs, Canada ranks second-last (thirteenth out of 14 countries). The report – Extent and Causes of International Variations in Drug Usage – was conducted for the UK Secretary of State for Health to determine whether the UK is adequately providing for the health needs of its citizens.

The report noted that "Medicines play an important role in the management of most diseases. In recent years, there have been important changes in the drugs that are used to treat many conditions. This has helped to make many conditions more treatable, thus improving patient outcomes."

"... ensuring that are used appropriately has an important part to play in delivering high-quality, fair, safe and effective NHS services."

Overall, the UK ranks 8th (5 places better than Canada). As a result of this mid-level ranking, Britain is providing an extra 50 million pounds ($78 million) to pay for cancer medicines from October, bringing forward a government promise to give access to drugs even if they have not been approved by cost watchdog NICE.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Common Drug Review continues to provide negative recommendations to medicines often approved elsewhere – denying Canadians access to new, effective treatments.

The report also notes that "countries with well-developed health technology assessment processes appear to have similar levels of uptake across some disease areas (for example, the UK, Sweden, Australia and Canada all appear to have similar rankings in a number of areas)."

Unfortunately, similar doesn't mean better.

April 25th marks World Malaria Day – in recognition of the global efforts to eradicate the disease, and the challenges remaining.

In 2008, there were an estimated 250 million cases of malarial infection, which resulted in approximately 850,000 deaths worldwide.

Recently announced pharmacy reform in Ontario is a major step in redressing artificially high generic drug prices in Canada. Reforming Ontario's drug system will save Canadian consumers, employers and taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating kickbacks and rebates that have served to inflate the prices that consumers pay for generic drugs in Canada.

Counterfeit medicines are a growing threat to public health in Peru, according to a recent study published in the Pan American Journal of Public Health¹. Since 2005, the prevalence of counterfeit medicines has increased annually by an average of 45 per cent.