Earlier this week, the Business Forum of The Press+ published an opinion piece entitled “Quebec, dunce in the distribution of basic treatments and drugs”. Its author mentioned the supposed delay of Quebec compared to the other provinces as regards the accessibility of certain drugs. He criticized as a bonus the supposedly limited role of the Quebec pharmacist in prescribing drugs compared to his Ontario counterparts, erroneous assertions. Let’s set the clocks back.
First of all, let’s debunk the idea that Quebec is behind the other Canadian provinces when it comes to the accessibility of certain over-the-counter medications. In his text, the author cites, for example, the accessibility of Gravol, over the counter in Ontario, unlike in Quebec, where it is also available without a prescription, but behind the counter, under the supervision of the pharmacist. This situation affects a limited number of drugs, about ten or twenty, at most.
Why this difference? In Quebec, we are more cautious than other provinces or states in North America when it comes to taking medication.
In the case of Gravol, for example, the fact that it is under the pharmacist’s control allows him to question the patient to ensure that taking this medication does not mask serious health problems.
Since the network of pharmacies is very extensive in Quebec, this way of doing things does not constitute an obstacle to accessibility. In addition, local pharmacists can prescribe drugs without a prescription, which promotes access, thus allowing coverage by public and private insurers for certain products. This also avoids unnecessary medical visits for childcare centers (CPE) and residences for the elderly (RPA).
The Quebec pharmacist, ahead of its neighbors
In his diagnosis, the author of the text also underlined the importance of offering more latitude to the pharmacist in the prescription of drugs, underlining the fact that Ontario has just “innovated in this chapter”.
Quite the contrary. Since 2015, pharmacists in Quebec have been authorized to prescribe medication for a host of minor health problems, such as allergic conjunctivitis, cold sores or urinary tract infections, under certain conditions. He can even initiate treatment for a patient with signs of shingles.
The vast majority of minor conditions for which pharmacists in Ontario can prescribe, pharmacists in Quebec can do so as well. Ontario has simply caught up with the other provinces.
The Paxlovid case
In the midst of a pandemic, and in a context where emergency rooms were overflowing, Quebec pharmacists obtained authorization to prescribe Paxlovid, a treatment aimed at reducing the symptoms of COVID-19 in people at risk of complications. They were practically the first in the world to be able to do this. Not only was this operation successful, but access to Paxlovid for patients who were able to obtain it increased dramatically once pharmacists were able to prescribe it. The proof, more than 66% of prescriptions for Paxlovid were made by pharmacists.
Thanks to interprofessional collaboration and the openness of the College of Physicians of Quebec, pharmacy in Quebec is among the most advanced in the world. Quebec society as a whole benefits from it.