Pathways to Sustainable Access to Innovative Medicines for Canadians

About the project: Many new medicines pose challenges and opportunities for Canada’s healthcare system. They stretch the ability of government to manage incremental costs, to ensure Canadians have access to products that deliver significantly better patient outcomes, and to position Canada as a centre of global investment and innovation. Innovative medicines—defined in Canada as “…a drug that contains a medicinal ingredient not previously approved in a drug by the Minister and that is not a variation of a previously approved medicinal ingredient…”—require a new way forward in policy and practice. How can Canada balance the equally important objectives of innovation, affordability and good patient outcomes when it comes to prescription drugs? This project synthesized the themes and recommendations from six national roundtables to provide ideas on how to move forward.

Timeline: April-December 2017

Partners: Innovative Medicines Canada; McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Contact: Charlie Carter, Policy Lead