Patients at Ontario pharmacies may soon face a new threat: U.S. tariffs poised to drive up drug prices and disrupt access to critical medications, putting vulnerable Canadians at risk of being priced out of life-saving treatments.
Mehrnaz Asadollahi, owner of Mariposa Pharmacy in downtown Orillia, has seen the cost-of-care equation rewritten before. When Target exited Canada, she opened her own storefront to keep serving patients who counted on her expertise. Now, as talk of U.S. tariffs escalates, Asadollahi fears another upheaval—this time with stakes reaching deep into the daily lives of those relying on prescription medications.
According to Asadollahi, brand-name drugs manufactured in the United States would be hit first, but generics aren’t immune. Many generic drugs, though produced in Canada, depend on American-sourced ingredients. She explains, “If they’re getting the higher price ingredient, they have to measure price upward, and then that’s going to be a problem for them as well.”
For Canadians without insurance or government support, even modest price hikes could force a choice between their health and their wallet. Asadollahi worries most about non-compliance, where patients skip doses or abandon treatment because costs become prohibitive. She cautions that chronic disease management and medications like insulin hang in the balance if prices climb unchecked.
Shortages are already testing the limits of patient care. Asadollahi reports back orders on opioid and codeine-based painkillers, with supplies trickling in so slowly she must ration medication, inconveniencing patients and jeopardizing effective treatment. The Canadian Pharmacists Association and the Canadian Medical Association have echoed her concerns, urging Ottawa to shield pharmaceuticals from retaliatory tariffs and warning that higher costs could overburden hospitals and emergency rooms.
Policy experts highlight the risk to Canada’s drug pricing framework and raise alarms over domestic manufacturers’ competitiveness if U.S. tariffs persist. Some, including Asadollahi, argue that the real solution lies in boosting Canada’s pharmaceutical self-reliance—opening factories, fostering innovation, and reducing dependency on imports.
With policymakers slow to act and supply chains already stretched, pharmacists like Asadollahi are left hoping for swift government intervention before a temporary concern becomes a national crisis.
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Orillia pharmacist warns U.S. tariffs could hike drug costs
