US vs Canada — Price Gap Watch
Source-backed price comparisons for 25 drugs with both US and Canadian data. Exchange rate ~0.73 USD/CAD used for ratio calculation only.
US pays moreCanada pays more~parity
| drug | US best price | Canada best price | ratio (US÷CA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01FarxigaDapagliflozin | $288 GoodRx | $15.66 Ontario Drug Benefit | 25.2× |
| 02EnbrelEtanercept | $3,300 GoodRx | $238 Ontario Drug Benefit | 19.0× |
| 03HydrochlorothiazideHydrochlorothiazide | $4 GoodRx | $0.47 Ontario Drug Benefit | 11.7× |
| 04MetforminMetformin Hydrochloride | $5.32 Cost Plus Drugs | $0.74 Ontario Drug Benefit | 9.8× |
| 05SynthroidLevothyroxine Sodium | $6.25 Cost Plus Drugs | $1.38 Ontario Drug Benefit | 6.2× |
| 06JardianceEmpagliflozin | $352 GoodRx | $86.60 Ontario Drug Benefit | 5.6× |
| 07CrestorRosuvastatin Calcium | $6.82 Cost Plus Drugs | $4.06 Ontario Drug Benefit | 2.3× |
| 08LyricaPregabalin | $13.60 GoodRx | $9 Ontario Drug Benefit | 2.1× |
| 09GabapentinGabapentin | $11 GoodRx | $9 Ontario Drug Benefit | 1.7× |
| 10HumiraAdalimumab | $550 GoodRx / Boehringer Ingelheim biosimilar program | $471.27 Ontario Drug Benefit | 1.6× |
| 11AmlodipineAmlodipine Besylate | $5.20 Cost Plus Drugs | $4.50 Ontario Drug Benefit | 1.6× |
| 12LisinoprilLisinopril | $5.39 Cost Plus Drugs | $4.86 Ontario Drug Benefit | 1.5× |
| 13PrilosecOmeprazole | $5.93 Cost Plus Drugs | $6.86 Ontario Drug Benefit | 1.2× |
| 14LipitorAtorvastatin Calcium | $5.74 Cost Plus Drugs | $7.03 Ontario Drug Benefit | ≈ parity |
| 15ClarithromycinClarithromycin | $31.10 Cost Plus Drugs | $38.80 Ontario Drug Benefit | ≈ parity |
| 16XareltoRivaroxaban | $16.51 Cost Plus Drugs | $21.53 Ontario Drug Benefit | ≈ parity |
| 17WellbutrinBupropion Hydrochloride | $5.99 Cost Plus Drugs | $8.78 Ontario Drug Benefit | ≈ parity |
| 18LexaproEscitalopram Oxalate | $6.32 Cost Plus Drugs | $9.33 Ontario Drug Benefit | ≈ parity |
| 19ZoloftSertraline Hydrochloride | $6.04 Cost Plus Drugs | $9.91 Ontario Drug Benefit | 1.2× CA |
| 20LosartanLosartan Potassium | $5.51 Cost Plus Drugs | $9.44 Ontario Drug Benefit | 1.3× CA |
| 21LantusInsulin Glargine | $35 Sanofi Valyou Savings Program | $61.69 Ontario Drug Benefit | 1.3× CA |
| 22ProzacFluoxetine Hydrochloride | $5.44 Cost Plus Drugs | $9.90 Ontario Drug Benefit | 1.3× CA |
| 23StelaraUstekinumab | $2,181.91 Drugs.com price guide | $4,593.15 NCBI/CADTH public cost table | 1.5× CA |
| 24CymbaltaDuloxetine Hydrochloride | $6.47 Cost Plus Drugs | $29.40 Ontario Drug Benefit | 3.3× CA |
| 25NexiumEsomeprazole Magnesium | $5.90 Cost Plus Drugs | $56.07 Ontario Drug Benefit | 6.9× CA |
Notable findings
13
drugs where US pays significantly more
7
drugs where Canada pays more (rare inversions)
5
drugs at approximate price parity
⚠ Rare inversions Zoloft, Losartan, Lantus, Prozac, Stelara, Cymbalta, Nexium — Canada pays more than the US. Usually explains biosimilar mandate delays or limited formulary competition.