Manulife and Shoppers Drug Mart collaborate to help manage serious medical conditions

Toronto, ON (Oct. 20, 2022) – Manulife is pleased to announce it has enhanced its industry-leading Specialty Drug Care program with the addition of a new collaboration with Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada’s leading pharmacy retailer.

Aimed at helping Canadians better manage their health, the program facilitates convenient access to higher cost specialty medications for Manulife Group Benefits customers and provides extra care and support for patients managing complex medical conditions like cancer, cystic fibrosis and multiple sclerosis. The program also offers financial savings to plan sponsors and members and provides convenient dispensing and delivery options.

“Shoppers Drug Mart is a great addition to Manulife’s Specialty Drug Care program,” says Kim MacFarlane, Vice-President of Group Benefits Products and Digital Experiences at Manulife. “It strengthens a program that already consistently receives customer satisfaction scores of 96 to 97 per cent and integrating Shoppers with our existing network will have direct benefits for customers through an expanded list of medications, and even more expert advice and guidance.”

“Our purpose aligns with Manulife’s as we look to help Canadians live life well,” says Uchenwa Genus, Senior Director, Drug Plan Solutions at Shoppers Drug Mart. “Through this program, we’ll be able to further deliver on that purpose, making care and medications more accessible, convenient and seamless. Together we’re helping to create a healthier Canada.”

Through Manulife’s existing Specialty Drug Care program, members have access to Nurse case managers who support patients by:

Providing tailored education about specialty drugs and coaching on medical conditions and lifestyle choices
Facilitating discussions between doctors and patients
Offering helpful prescription renewal reminders
Coordinating infusion appointments and/or injection training and drug deliveries

In Canada, specialty drugs represent a small percentage (0.9%) of total drug claims, but make up almost a third (29%) of total drug spending[1] – a trend that continues to grow as new medications enter the market.

To learn more about Manulife’s Specialty Drug Program, visit Manulife.ca.

Notes

1. Express Scripts Canada 2022 Prescription Drug Trend Report.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation (TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC, SEHK: 945) is a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our global wealth and asset management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2021, we had more than 38,000 employees, over 119,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 33 million customers. Our principal operations are in Asia and Canada, and the United States, where we have served customers for more than 160 years. We trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under ‘945’ in Hong Kong. In the previous 12 months we made CAD$32.7 billion in payments to our customers. For more information, visit www.manulife.com.

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. All figures in CAD unless otherwise stated.

About Shoppers Drug Mart Inc.

Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. is one of the most recognized and trusted names in Canadian retailing. The company is the licensor of full-service retail drug stores operating under the name Shoppers Drug Mart (Pharmaprix in Québec). With almost 1,300 Shoppers Drug Mart® and Pharmaprix® stores operating in prime locations in each province and two territories, the company is one of the most convenient retailers in Canada. The company also licenses or owns 47 medical clinic pharmacies operating under the name Shoppers Simply Pharmacy® (Pharmaprix Simplement Santé® in Québec). In addition to its retail store network, the company owns the Medical Cannabis by Shoppers™ online platform for the sale of medical cannabis, Shoppers Drug Mart Specialty Health Network Inc., a provider of specialty drug distribution, pharmacy and comprehensive patient support services, and Health Solutions by Shoppers™, a provider of cost-effective and sustainable employee health benefits. For more information, please visit www.morewaystobenefit.ca. Shoppers Drug Mart is an independent operating division of Loblaw Companies Limited.

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SOURCE: Manulife Financial Corporation

Tags: benefits, Ecosystem, health care, Manulife, Shoppers Drug Mart