Woman's hand pours the medicine pills out of the bottle

Able to get what you need

The Pharmacare program covers prescription medications.

Please refer to the MBT booklet for more details.

BC Formulary

BC Pharmacare

Brand Name vs Generic

BC Formulary: A list of drugs approved for coverage by BC Pharmacare. This list is used as the basis of coverage for our drug plan and is part of the Fair Pharmacare program.

BC PharmaCare: One of the most comprehensive drug programs in Canada, it provides reasonable access to drug therapy through seven drug plans. The largest is the income-based Fair PharmaCare plan.

Brand Name vs. Generic: Generic drugs contain the same medicinal ingredients as brand name drugs and are considered to be therapeutic equivalents. The binding ingredients used in generic drugs differ from those used in brand name drugs. Generic drugs are strictly regulated and must meet rigorous clinical standards in order to be approved by Health Canada

Special Authority Approval Process: In some circumstances you may be prescribed a drug that is not automatically covered under the BC Formulary. In these situations your Doctor can apply to BC Pharmacare through the Special Authority Process to request approval (How to Access PharmaCare’s Special Authority Program).  A copy of the BC Pharmacare approval must be submitted to the MBT so that the specific medication can be added to your individual Green Shield coverage.

Inquire about your Prescription Benefits today