Saskatchewan Prescription Drug Plan Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Released on October 27, 2025

Saskatchewan residents requiring prescription medications have been able to rely on the Prescription Drug Plan to help reduce the cost of their medications for 50 years as the plan marks its golden anniversary. 

"The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to invest a record $418.6 million this year in the Prescription Drug Plan," Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. "We want to ensure Saskatchewan residents have access to proven, effective medications, where cost is not a barrier to treatment." 

Introduced in 1975, the drug plan initially covered more than 1,200 medications on the Saskatchewan Formulary, which is a list of prescription drugs approved for public coverage. Today, that list has grown to cover more than 6,000 drugs and supplies, as new ones have become available, reviewed and added to the formulary. 

Over the past 50 years, the drug review process has evolved from a two-committee provincial model to a more coordinated approach, where drug funding decisions are informed by a national health technology assessment conducted by Canada's Drug Agency, provincial input from the Drug Advisory Committee of Saskatchewan, and pricing negotiations led by the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance. 

These review processes ensure that decisions to fund a drug continue to provide access to the best care while ensuring the sustainability of the publicly funded drug plan. 

Since its inception, the Prescription Drug Plan has expanded to include programs to assist seniors, children, residents with low income, residents with considerable expense for drugs in relation to their income, and those with specific health conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, infectious diseases and diabetes. 

For example, beginning May 1, 2025, Saskatchewan provided full coverage for Continuous and Flash Glucose Monitors (Advanced Glucose Monitors) to seniors aged 65 and older and young adults aged 18 to 25, an investment benefitting nearly 10,000 Saskatchewan patients with diabetes. Another example includes expanded coverage of Trikafta, a cystic fibrosis (CF) medication that improves lung function. Effective November 15, 2024, coverage expanded to include CF patients with one of 152 rare genetic mutations proven to be responsive to the medication. The expansion covers most Saskatchewan patients with CF. 

The Prescription Drug Plan pays for approximately 62 per cent of the total prescription cost for eligible beneficiaries, offering a significant benefit to Saskatchewan residents. Drugs listed on the formulary are subject to patient's coverage, deductible or copayment. 

Between January 1 and December 31, 2024, the drug plan processed 16.2 million benefit prescription medications for approximately 803,000 Saskatchewan residents.

For more information on the drug plan, visit the Saskatchewan Drug Plan or the Saskatchewan Formulary. 

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