Personal care will be impacted by an exclusive coverage agreement for certain specialty prescription brands, according to a pharmacist.
The statement from Manulife that it will only cover specific specialty prescription drugs at pharmacies controlled by Loblaw raises concerns about the link that exists between insurance companies and large pharmacy retailers.
The agreement denotes yet another move away from providing patients who have a long-standing relationship with their local pharmacist with individualized care, according to independent pharmacists like Kyro Maseh, owner of Lawlor Pharmasave in Toronto.
“What it means for the patient at the end of the day is that they’re going to be picking up their medications from a high-volume pharmacy, or mail-order pharmacy for that matter, thus eliminating any sort of personal care in the process,” Maseh stated to CBC News.
These exclusive agreements, sometimes referred to as “preferred pharmacy network arrangements,” are typical in the US. Although they are not new to They are becoming more and more popular in Canada, which alarms pharmacists like Maseh.
