Canada calls for support to national pharmacare and generics industry

Generics/General | Posted 10/06/2022 post-comment0 Post your comment

Canada has made a federal budget commitment to supporting a national pharmacare programme. This can be bolstered through strengthening Canada’s domestic generics pharmaceutical industry.

GaBIJ 2012-2 Cover V12F28VK

At present, Canada does not have a national pharmacare programme, but instead individual provinces have their own drug coverage schemes. This is great in regions like British Columbia (BC), where the roll out new or expanded coverage for treatments for a range of conditions appears continual. For example, Canada’s Ministry of Health reported that in BC, new drugs have recently been rolled out to treat conditions including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, severely low blood sugar, migraines, low white blood cell levels, multiple sclerosis, blood clots and heart failure [1-3]. In addition, BC PharmaCare coverage has been expanded to include a long-acting, birth control drug that is implanted in the patient’s upper arm. However, this coverage is not universal across the country. A national pharmacare is likely to improve health outcomes for lower-income Canadians and save money for all.

Through the national pharmacare, Canada could take better advantage of the cost savings that come through increased use of generic medicines. In addition, if Canada produced the medicines prescribed, this would also support the domestic generics pharmaceutical industry, securing jobs and the safety of the national drugs supply.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted Canada’s need for domestic security in drug supply. However, securing this in times of high inflation and a stressed geopolitical environment that threatens supply chains, is not easy. In many circumstances, the active pharmaceutical ingredients are produced abroad in countries such as China and India.

With a reduction in domestic pharmaceutical production of 35% since 2019, Canada’s federal commitment to a national pharmacare programme presents an opportunity to improve prescription drug coverage for Canadians, reduce costs to taxpayers and patients through increased use of generic medicines, and can also strengthen Canada’s domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing sector and international supply chain.

Related articles
Nova Scotia, Canada implements biosimilar switching policy

Canada’s biosimilar substitution policy: effects on competition and patient safety

LATIN AMERICAN FORUM

The new section of the ‘Latin American Forum’ on GaBI has been launched. The objective of this new section is to provide you with all the latest news and updates on developments of generic and biosimilar medicines in Latin America in Spanish.

View last week’s headline article: Nomenclature of biologicals and biosimilars in Peru

Browse the news in the Latin American Forum!

Register to receive the GaBI Latin American Forum newsletter. Inform colleagues and friends of this new initiative.

LATIN AMERICAN FORUM

Se ha lanzado la nueva sección del ‘Foro Latinoamericano’ sobre GaBI. El objetivo de esta nueva sección es brindarle las últimas noticias y actualizaciones sobre desarrollos de medicamentos genéricos y biosimilares en América Latina en español.

Vea el artículo principal de la semana pasada: Nomenclature of biologicals and biosimilars in Peru

!Explore las noticias en el Foro Latinoamericano!

Regístrese para recibir el boletín informativo GaBI Foro Latinoamericano. Informe a colegas y amigos sobre esta nueva iniciativa. 

  

References
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. British Columbia adds coverage for three new enoxaparin biosimilars [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2022 Jun 10]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/biosimilars/general/british-columbia-adds-coverage-for-three-new-enoxaparin-biosimilars
2. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Canada approves heparin biosimilars Redesca and Redesca HP [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2022 Jun 10]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/biosimilars/news/Canada-approves-heparin-biosimilars-Redesca-and-Redesca-HP
3. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Canada approves enoxaparin biosimilars Inclunox and Noromby [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2022 Jun 10]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/biosimilars/news/Canada-approves-enoxaparin-biosimilars-Inclunox-and-Noromby

Permission granted to reproduce for personal and non-commercial use only. All other reproduction, copy or reprinting of all or part of any ‘Content’ found on this website is strictly prohibited without the prior consent of the publisher. Contact the publisher to obtain permission before redistributing.

Copyright – Unless otherwise stated all contents of this website are © 2022 Pro Pharma Communications International. All Rights Reserved.

comment icon Comments (0)
Post your comment
Related content
Generic drug growth in Brazil and Venezuela
53 MD002445
Generics/General Posted 15/09/2023
Pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Brazil
91 AA007225
Generics/General Posted 26/08/2022
Most viewed articles
About GaBI
Home/About GaBI Posted 06/08/2009
EU guidelines for biosimilars
EMA logo 1 V13C15
Home/Guidelines Posted 08/10/2010