Clinical and Economie Effects of a Therapeutic Substitution Policy for Proton Pump Inhibitors in Aboriginal Patients in Northern Communities in Canada’s Northwest Territories

Background and objectiveProton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which are used to treat gastroesophageal symptoms, can vary in price, but are thought not to differ in clinical benefits. Health Canada’s Non-Insured Health Benefits Program instituted a therapeutic substitution policy for PPIs as a cost-containment strategy in 2005. The objective of this pilot study was to identify signals of what might be occurring as a result of this policy in Aboriginal …