The TELUS Health 2025 Category Watch report examines four drug categories where evolution is particularly pronounced: birth control, weight management, migraine, and cholesterol. Drawing from a database of more than 10 million privately insured Canadians, the report helps plan sponsors better understand the impact of change and what to expect in coming years.
Some categories are experiencing rapid transformation. Others are shifting more quietly. But all four are telling important stories about where drug plan costs and coverage are headed.
Weight management has emerged as one of the fastest-growing categories, driven by new medications that are fundamentally more effective than previous options. The growth raises questions about budget impact, coverage decisions, and how plan sponsors are approaching what was once classified as a "lifestyle" category.
Migraine treatments have evolved with the introduction of preventative medications that work differently than anything that came before. For the subset of patients who qualify, these drugs are changing quality of life—and changing the category's cost profile.
Cholesterol medications have been stable for years, but recent data suggests that stability may be shifting. A class of biologic drugs is gradually expanding its presence, and while the patient population remains small, the cost implications are worth understanding.
Birth control represents a different kind of evolution. As Canada's national pharmacare program begins to take shape, coverage is shifting from private to public plans. Yet even in provinces with free contraceptives, many residents continue to receive coverage from their private plans—reflecting gaps in what's covered under public programs.
Understanding how these categories are evolving provides insight into broader dynamics affecting health benefit plans: the introduction of higher-cost, higher-efficacy medications; the interplay between public policy and private coverage; and the ongoing challenge of balancing costs with outcomes.