Canadians Also Wait for Drugs

A recent study by the Fraser Institute found that Canadian federal and provincial government bureaucracies are taking more than two-and-a-half years on average to approve new prescription drugs, thereby depriving many Canadians of the latest in new medicines.

A recent study by the Fraser Institute found that Canadian federal and provincial government bureaucracies are taking more than two-and-a-half years on average to approve new prescription drugs, thereby depriving many Canadians of the latest in new medicines.

Findings include:

• Only 23 percent of new drugs approved as safe and effective by Health Canada in 2004 had been approved for either full or partial reimbursement under provincial drug plans as of June 9, 2011, compared to 98 percent that had been covered by at least one private insurer.
• Compared to its international counterparts, Health Canada takes longer to certify new drugs.
• From 2006 to 2009, Health Canada’s performance was worse than that of the EMEA, Health Canada’s European equivalent.
• Health Canada’s performance was worse than that of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in five of the last six years studied (2004 to 2009).