On December 28, 2024, Health Canada launched a public consultation on various measures aimed at preventing drug shortages and mitigating their impacts. Health Canada is therefore proposing regulatory amendments to the Food & Drug Regulations to enforce those changes. These proposed amendments aim to enhance the resilience of Canada’s health product supply chains and ensure…
News
The Competition Bureau and Health Canada Recognize the Benefits of Collaborating
On January 10, 2022, the Competition Bureau and Health Canada (Health Products and Food Branch) issued a joint notice regarding the ongoing collaboration between the two institutions to address complex issues in the pharmaceutical sector. The objective of this ongoing collaboration is “to support Canadians’ access to safe, effective and affordable medicines.” Both institutions are…
New Prohibited Commercial Practice in Quebec (Financial Assistance to Patients)
On April 15, 2021, the Regulation respecting exceptions to the prohibition against paying or reimbursing the price of a medication or supply covered by the basic prescription drug insurance plan came into force. The purpose of this Regulation is to set out the exceptions to the newly implemented ban on a commercial practice preventing manufacturers,…
Competition Bureau Warns Branded Pharmaceutical Companies for the Second Time
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Competition Bureau is working tirelessly to ensure that Canadians have access to cost-saving prescription generic medicines. On April 2, 2020, the Bureau issued a statement in which it mentions that any further obstruction to the manufacture of generic alternatives will not be tolerated. For the second time, the Bureau…
Quebec Closes a Loophole for Unaccredited Drug Manufacturers
On March 17, 2020, the Quebec Government enacted Bill 31: An Act to amend mainly the Pharmacy Act to facilitate access to certain services. In Quebec, drug manufacturers must be accredited in order to have their products listed on the RAMQ list of medications (and therefore covered by the public drug plan). Accredited manufacturers are…
Ontario Announces Regulatory Changes to OCT Benefits and Private Label Products (Updated March 2020)
*Updated : On March 30, 2020, the Ontario government launched a 24-hour consultation on its proposal to change the effective date of the regulatory amendments for private label products from July 1, 2020 to April 1, 2020. The government’s rationale is that the availability of private label products will reduce the risk of drug shortages…