In my last blog post, I talked about consultations around Ontario generic drug costs. There has been an update on this issue that I thought I would mention here.

On May 18, Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews announced a delay in the implementation of the new generic drug program until mid-to-late June. She said that the delay was not to be interpreted as an indication of any significant change in government philosophy or protocol on this issue. They just want to "make sure we get it right," she said at the press conference.

It is difficult to say what this means at this moment but it is probably safe to assume that more money is in the mix for pharmacists, to help make up for the loss of the "allowances" currently being provided to the pharmacies by generic drug manufacturers. The government is unlikely to back down on their new initiative since it is politically popular with many Ontarians. On this we can take the minister's comments at face value. For now, it is pharmacy business as usual in Ontario.