Data on prescription drug claims suggest that there could be more than 100,000 Canadians living with undiagnosed chronic diseases who did not begin treatment in 2020, possibly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prescription Drug Trend Report flags what it calls an alarming trend reflected in the year’s significant drop in new claimants for drugs used to treat diseases like cancer and diabetes.
“This trend is a cause for concern,” said Dr. Dorian Lo, president of Express Scripts Canada which compiled the report. “Delays in diagnosis and treatment increase the challenge for patients to manage their disease. For most conditions, seeking care in the earlier stages likely improves health outcomes and helps decrease the risk of disease progression and related consequences.”
People delayed medical visits during pandemic
It’s believed that people may have not sought medical care because of pandemic stay-at-home orders, concern about critical healthcare resources needed for the treatment of COVID-19 patients and fear of catching the disease in healthcare settings.
“Those people who didn’t seek medical attention for potential chronic diseases in 2020 could seek a diagnosis in 2021 or beyond,” said Jeff Boutilier, a manager at Express Scripts Canada. “ A growing backlog of new claimants in major therapeutic areas is expected to have long-term repercussions for benefits plans and disease management.”
Delays in the diagnosis of diseases like cancer and diabetes can lead to more severe health outcomes and higher costs to treat them. (iStock)
Drop in medication claims for cancer, diabetes, hypertension
From the end of March to December 2020 there was an average two per cent decline in weekly new claimants for cancer medications. That could mean more than 10,000 Canadians did not start treatment for cancer. “”Delays in cancer screening and the interruptions to surgeries may result in a shift towards treating more advanced cancers, with fewer therapeutic options at a higher cost,” said Boutilier.
For the same period of time there was an average one per cent decline in weekly new claimants for diabetes medication. That could mean a backlog of more than 200,000 people who have not started treatment for this disease.
And a cumulative backlog of new claimants for high blood pressure medications raises concerns of an increase in the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Express Scripts Canada manages private health insurance benefits for millions of Canadians. Figures from 2016 suggest that 23.2 million Canadians have access to private drug insurance, often provided by an employer. Several provinces have public drug insurance plans, but some only cover people who have no private insurance.
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