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Percentage of Claims Accepted by Public Drug Programs for Generic Drugs

This indicator measures the rate of public drug program spending on generic drugs.

This indicator is interpreted as the proportion of utilization that generic drug products account for within public drug programs.

Data updated:
Data availability: to (calendar years)
Geographic coverage
Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon
Reporting level
Province/Territory
Calculation

The total number of claims accepted by public drug programs for generic drugs divided by the total number of claims accepted by public drug programs

Unit of Analysis: Claims to public drug programs

Denominator

Total number of claims made to public drug programs

Numerator

Total number of claims made to public drug programs for a generic drug product

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Name

Percentage of Claims Accepted by Public Drug Programs for Generic Drugs

Short/Other Names

Not applicable

Description

The rate of claims accepted by public drug programs for generic drugs

Rationale

This indicator measures the uptake of generic drugs on public drug programs. Generic drug products are typically less expensive than brand name products.

Interpretation

This indicator is interpreted as the proportion of utilization that generic drug products account for within public drug programs.

HSP Framework Dimension

Health system inputs and characteristics: Efficient allocation of resources

Areas of Need

Not applicable

Targets/Benchmarks

Not applicable

Available Data Years

to (calendar years)

Geographic Coverage

  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Prince Edward Island
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Quebec
  • Ontario
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
  • Alberta
  • British Columbia
  • Yukon

Reporting Level/Disaggregation

  • Province/Territory

Indicator Results

Prescribed Drug Spending in Canada

Update Frequency

Whenever required for analytical product or data request

Latest Results Update Date

Updates

Not applicable

Description

The total number of claims accepted by public drug programs for generic drugs divided by the total number of claims accepted by public drug programs

Unit of Analysis: Claims to public drug programs

Type of Measurement

Percentage or proportion

Denominator

Description:

Total number of claims made to public drug programs

Inclusions:

All claims accepted by public drug programs

Exclusions:

Any claims not submitted to or accepted by public drug programs, including claims submitted to a private insurer or cases where the individual pays out of pocket

Numerator

Description:

Total number of claims made to public drug programs for a generic drug product

Inclusions:

All claims for generic drugs accepted by public drug programs

Exclusions:

  1. Any claims not submitted to or accepted by public drug programs, including claims submitted to a private insurer or cases where the individual pays out of pocket
  2. Claims for brand name products

Method of Adjustment

Not applicable

Adjustment Applied

None

Geographic Assignment

Place of residence

Data Sources

  • NPDUIS Database

Caveats and Limitations

  • Includes only drugs claimed through public drug programs
  • Excludes any drugs claimed through a private drug plan or purchased over the counter

Trending Issues

All data is not available for all years:

  • Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, New Brunswick: From January 2000
  • Nova Scotia: From April 2001
  • Prince Edward Island: From April 2004
  • British Columbia: From January 2006
  • Yukon: From January 2007
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: From April 2008
  • Ontario: From April 2010
  • First Nations and Inuit Health Branch: From October 2010

Comments

Not applicable

References

Not applicable

How to cite:

Canadian Institute for Health Information. Percentage of Claims Accepted by Public Drug Programs for Generic Drugs. Accessed April 25, 2025.