Alzheimer’s disease does not normally cross paths with private drug plans — that will soon change. The first-ever disease-modifying drugs that slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease are due to arrive in Canada. The small subset of patients in their 40s, 50s and 60s diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s will surely see these medications as a lifeline — and turn to their drug plan for coverage.
The 2025 Drug Pipeline report by TELUS Health also distills what private drug plans need to know about what’s coming in the categories of plaque psoriasis, weight management, migraine and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Of the 10 medications under analysis, seven are expected to have a medium or high budget impact on private drug plans. On the flip side, a steady stream of generics and biosimilars will bring down the drug-plan spend, including in categories on the top-10 list.
Yet the path forward is not without unknowns. For example, plan sponsors may be experiencing somewhat of calm before the storm in the emerging weight-management category. While Wegovy did launch in 2024 and claims are climbing, Zepbound — with weight-loss results that may be as much as twice that of Wegovy’s — has yet to even cross Health Canada’s door for review.
On the savings side, more than 30 generics have the potential to bring down costs in the diabetes category, ranked number one on the top-10 list for drug-plan spend. Yet patent litigation stalls their entry into market. Meanwhile, the pipeline for biosimilars remains robust, with fewer legal obstacles. Once the current slate captured in the 2025 Drug Pipeline report are approved and marketed, the biosimilars market will have increased by half. That’s good news for private drug plans.