BC Pharmacy Association calls for probe into alleged kickbacks

A patient displays medications and a $50 cash kickback that a pharmacy employee delivered to him, in violation of College of Pharmacists of B.C. bylaws, on Feb. 6, in Vancouver. The man tells The Globe and Mail that the pharmacy pays him $50 per week and does not change his fentanyl patches, as ordered by his doctor.

Pharmacies charge a dispensing fee for each prescription, and these fees make up a significant portion of their overall revenue. For a patient on income assistance or with First Nations health benefits, a pharmacy that is enrolled with PharmaCare can bill the publicly funded program for up to $10, for each of up to three medications. If one of those medications is methadone, the most commonly prescribed medication for opioid use disorder, the pharmacy can bill another “interaction fee” of $7.70.

The Globe spoke to 28 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, patients and social-service providers to learn the scope of the practice and how such pharmacies covertly encourage patients to participate. Among them, two doctors, two pharmacists and several patients independently revealed the names of dozens of pharmacies alleged to offer kickbacks, including locations in Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, New Westminster and Victoria.

At an unrelated news conference on Thursday, Health Minister Adrian Dix reiterated that he could not comment on whether an investigation is under way, but said “rules are there to be upheld, and they will be upheld in B.C.” The alleged kickback scheme goes beyond offering patients cash for prescriptions they normally would have received. Some patients and doctors have told The Globe that pharmacists have counselled patients on which medications to ask for, such as those for pain or insomnia – self-reported conditions that don’t require corroborative objective evidence.

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