Canadians slam Shoppers Drug Mart for 'price gouging' on morning-after pill: 'Buyer beware'

A post on Reddit has gone viral for showing the steep price difference between emergency contraception bought at Shoppers Drug Mart and Walmart. But those discrepancies could soon be a thing of the past, after the federal government announced last week the first phase of a national pharmacare plan that covers contraception medications and devices.

Experts say that is is one example of businesses profiting from Canadians’ reproductive choices.

The Reddit post in question was posted to the increasingly popular "Loblaws Is Out of Control" forum, which now boasts more than 86,000 members and was instrumental in organizing a May-long boycott of Loblaw-affiliated stores, including Shoppers Drug Mart.

The post shows one photo of Contingency One, commonly known as Plan B, ringing up at a Shoppers Drug Mart for $36.15. The second photo shows the receipt of the same product from a Walmart store for $16.08 — less than half the price.

“These two photos were both taken today, both are from nearby stores,” the user wrote, showing a receipt from a Walmart store in Scarborough, Ont. “These products could have likely come on the same truck. This is absolutely price gouging.”

Many in the comments shared stories of finding emergency contraceptives for cheaper elsewhere.

“At my local independent pharmacy I worked at, we sold these at cost, [about] $12,” user Temporary-Maximum-94 shared. “Our owner couldn't feel good about profiting off of someone else's panic and misfortune.”

Trudeau Liberals introducing pharmacare policy that covers contraception medications, devices

Dr. Wendy Norman is a professor of family practice at University of British Columbia and director of the school’s Contraception and Abortion Research Team. She and her team worked for a decade with the B.C. government to produce evidence of contraceptive cost effectiveness.

“Governments paying for contraceptives costs less than paying for unintended pregnancies,” she tells Yahoo Canada.

Plan B contraceptive is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex to help prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Since April 2023, the B.C. government has introduced a policy that provides universal, single payer, first dollar contraception coverage. That means a person can get an appointment with the pharmacist, who will dispense the contraceptive to them for free. In B.C., pharmacists can prescribe the pill, or the person can get a prescription from a doctor, midwife or nurse practitioner.

Last fall, Norman was asked to present her evidence to the federal Ministry of Health. While Ottawa announced their intention to make this new policy available federally and included it in the budget, Norman says they have yet to work out how each province and territory will roll out the plan. The federal policy is currently before the House of Commons for review.

The federal government announced the policy as part of its $1.5-billion "first phase of a national pharmacare plan," which would cover diabetes medications, like insulin, and contraception medications and devices, like birth control pills, IUDs, implants, and the morning-after pill.

“Until the final agreements are made between the federal government and each provincial government, that will determine what it will look like in each province,” she says.

Norman says B.C.’s policy helps a lot of people, particularly those in rural or remote areas, where pharmacists might be one of the only health-care professionals available.

Making money off birth control makes access inequitable: Dr. Wendy Norman

The viral post showing the extreme price difference between the same contraceptive pill is an example of why governments must introduce universal plans for these medications. Norman says making money off birth control is eating away at the equitable access for Canadians to decide whether or when they want to have children.

“Contraceptives sales are being leveraged by for-profit entities to increase their profits at the cost of leading people unable to prevent pregnancies that they don’t want, need or plan,” she says. “Pregnancies that aren’t planned are more likely to lead to health problems, either maternal or newborn, and come into a situation where there’s less support for a child to thrive.”

Dr. Joel Lexchin, professor emeritus at York University’s School of Health Policy, concurs that this type of policy will have a positive impact on those who might face barriers when trying to obtain contraception.

“You’re not just looking at the medical costs of unwanted pregnancies, you’re also looking at the social costs,” he says. “People have to drop out of school or the workforce and they may not be in a position to deal with children because of economic or social circumstances. There’s a lot of economic costs that can be avoided when you provide contraception when necessary.”

Norman stresses that universal coverage is needed for circumstances that are considered public health issues.

“The people who can’t get coverage are those facing the most barriers to achieve their own health and equity and to support their families,” she says. “A universal system is the only way to go to help to support those Canadians who need and and want to avoid a pregnancy.”

Shoppers Drug Mart no stranger to customer ire over high prices

Shoppers Drug Mart is no stranger to criticism for their pricing, regularly being targeted by consumers venting on social media for what they feel is price gouging. Recent targets include a $21 deodorant stick and $44.99 for a value-size bottle of painkiller.