OTTAWA — Critics of a major drug-price overhaul hope a fresh federal cabinet will put a temporary stop to the new regulations set to take effect in January.
The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) is set to change the way it sets a price cap on medicines in Canada in an effort to lower excessively expensive drug costs.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put a new minister, Jean-Yves Duclos, in charge of Health Canada, which oversees the file.
“I think it’s premature and even irresponsible for anybody to be making any decisions until the new senior policy-makers for government are in place and have a chance to settle in and be briefed and to hear from stakeholders,” said John Adams, the volunteer board chair of the Best Medicines Coalition.
The coalition lobbies on behalf of 29 patient groups for access to safe, effective medicines.
While most welcome more affordable drugs, some critics fear a drastic drop in the sticker price for medicines will make Canada an unattractive place to launch new products, which could leave life-saving new therapies out of reach for Canadian patients.