We recognize the importance of keeping your plan affordable while ensuring employee health and wellbeing. With advancements in medicine and the growth of specialty drugs, rising drug costs are a key concern for many employers.
What is a PLA?
One of the ways we help to control drug costs is by actively negotiating and executing PLAs with drug manufacturers. These agreements allow drug plans to cover specific drug products at a reduced price. PLAs improve drug affordability, so your employees have access to innovative drug therapies.
Benefits of PLAs
- Cost savings: In addition to providing improved cost-effectiveness for new or existing drugs, PLAs provide savings to your plan to maximize your drug benefit dollars.
- Long-term affordability and reduced plan risk: PLAs help to stabilize or reduce increases in premium and pooling charges.
- Better access to drug therapies: These agreements facilitate coverage for a broad range of drugs.
PLAs, by the numbers
In 2022, our PLAs had the following impact:
3% decrease
in total drug claim costs for employers
11.4% decrease
in the amount paid for specialty drugs.
We continually monitor the drug landscape, identifying any impacts to your plan such as emerging new therapies and provincial biosimilar initiatives. To mitigate these impacts, we continually expand and enhance our PLAs to keep your plan affordable long term.
Learn more about PLAs
For more information on our plan management strategies, including PLAs, please contact your account representative.