Costly prescriptions are forcing many Canadians to go without medical treatment, says study 

One in 20 Canadians are opting out of continuing their medications because they can’t afford the prescription costs, new research has found.

One in 20 Canadians are opting out of continuing their medications because they can’t afford the prescription costs, new research has found.

The findings from the University of British Columbia study are based on surveys from over 223,000 people from Canada aged 12-and-older.

The findings, published online by the university Nov. 26, were supported by cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey from 2015-2020, alongside earlier research by the study’s co-author, UBC professor Dr. Michael Law.

Researchers found five per cent of those surveyed skipped doses, delayed refilling their prescriptions or didn’t fill them at all because they couldn’t afford to.

“Affordability challenges in Canada don’t stop at groceries, they extend to vital medications,” said the study’s senior author Dr. Mary De Vera, an associate professor at UBC’s faculty of pharmaceutical sciences.

“This study sheds light on how personal, health and systemic factors intersect to affect prescription adherence,” she said.

The study found women were 44 per cent more likely to reduce or go without medication than men, likely due to them having to balance other priorities like their careers and caregiving at home.