Is Canada about to give the pharma industry its wishlist?
A CCPA analysis argues that a new federal task force on drug supply is dominated by industry voices.
Sources · CCPA Research
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The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a think tank focused on social and economic justice policy, argues that Canada's new Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Sector Task Force is weighted toward the industry it is meant to advise.
Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced the task force in March. Its stated mandate is to explore "innovative, made-in-Canada solutions" that enhance competitiveness and support sustainable access to pharmaceutical products. Of its members, including co-chair Martin LeBlanc, 23 are directly connected to the pharmaceutical industry, according to the CCPA. One member is the president of Innovative Medicines Canada, which the CCPA calls the lobbying arm of Big Pharma. Medical researchers, patients, academics who study the industry and drug-manufacturing workers were not included, the CCPA says.
The task force released a final report in late July. The CCPA says it contains some important information and reasonable recommendations, including addressing structural barriers faced by small and mid-sized firms and not-for-profit groups developing advanced therapies made in Canada. It did not consider public ownership of drug manufacturing facilities, which the CCPA points to as a model in Sweden, to a limited extent.
The recommendation the CCPA objects to most is immediate access to new medicines once Health Canada has assessed them for safety and efficacy. The CCPA argues Health Canada approval means only that a drug provides some benefit and is safe enough to use, not that it is superior to existing products.
