OTTAWA – Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos put a six-month hiatus on new regulations designed to lower the cost of patented drugs in Canada.
Health Canada first announced in 2019 that the Patented Drug Price Review Board (PMPRB) would change the way it sets a price cap for drugs in Canada in an effort to reduce excessively expensive drug costs.
This will be the fourth delay in implementing those changes.
The regulations were supposed to go into effect in early January, but have been postponed until July 1, 2022.
Duclos said the most recent delay will allow industry, government and other players in the drug distribution system to focus their efforts on fighting the pandemic.
“For these amendments to take effect, in the context of a global pandemic, preparation and consultation is required,” Duclos said in a statement Thursday.
“A delay also allows the government to involve more stakeholders in the implementation of these amendments within the changing pharmaceutical landscape.”
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Health Canada hopes the amendments will save Canadians billions of dollars in proprietary drugs.
Life sciences groups, patient advocates and pharmaceutical companies have asked the minister to reconsider the changes entirely for fear that a sharp drop in drug prices could make Canada an unattractive place to launch new therapies that save lives.
Other critics worry about the stifling effects on innovation in the biomedical field.
Liberals postpone a 2019 promise to lower the cost of patented drugs for the fourth time. #cdnpoli
The delay is good news for the Best Medicines Coalition, a group that lobbies on behalf of 29 patient groups for access to safe and effective medicines.
“I am relieved that the new health minister and his cabinet colleagues are on hiatus,” said John Adams, chairman of the coalition’s board of directors. “Hopefully we use this as time to reflect on the merits of making so many changes at the same time.”
However, the federal NDP was not happy to see further delays in the government’s efforts to lower the price of drugs.
“Canadian families are struggling to make ends meet and the prices of everything are going up. The provinces are seeing a record number of COVID-19 cases and the government is announcing that it will do nothing to make prescription drugs more affordable for people, “said NDP health critic Don Davies in a statement.
Davies said it was “extremely cynical” to make the announcement on December 23, as people are busy preparing for Christmas and trying to cope with the latest wave of the pandemic.
“The liberal government should be ashamed of this,” he said.
Duclos said in his statement that the government remains committed to improving drug access and affordability in Canada, and is also working on a national strategy for rare disease drugs.
This Canadian Press report was first published on December 23, 2022.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com