On April 15, 2025, Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA) released its new five-year strategic plan, Insight to Impact 2025-2030. Formerly the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), this is the CDA’s first strategic plan. The plan sets out the agency’s vision, purpose, guiding principles and three strategic priorities:
- Anticipate: deliver insights to health care decision-makers and health systems;
- Innovate: maximize the use of evidence to guide decisions; and
- Transform: foster coordinated and sustainable health systems to generate real-world impact.
By 2030, the CDA envisions a future where health system decision-makers are supported by the best available evidence to make informed decisions about drug and health technology, patients have improved access to drug and health technologies that enhance their health, and the Canadian drug and health technology landscape is modern, sustainable, and connected.
Separately, on April 25, 2025, the CDA released a new position statement on the Use of AI in the Generation and Reporting of Evidence. Based on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) position statement on the use of AI in evidence generation, the statement focuses on the use of AI methods in generating evidence submitted for appraisal. The statement was published in anticipation of regulators and health technology assessment bodies considering evidence informed by AI bodies. It aims to provide guidance on how to present evidence that has been informed by AI methods to ensure benefits are balanced against risks.
The statement consists of two parts:
- Part 1: The statement examines potential uses of AI methods in health technology assessments, which may include systematic review and evidence synthesis, clinical evidence, real-world data and analysis and cost-effectiveness evidence.
- Part 2: The statement outlines user responsibilities when using AI methods in evidence generation and reporting.
Published shortly after the CDA’s 2025 Watch List on AI in health care (see our article), the statement will be regularly updated as new evidence on AI methods in evidence submissions emerges.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Life Sciences Regulatory & Compliance Group.
The preceding is intended as a timely update on Canadian intellectual property and technology law. The content is informational only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. To obtain such advice, please communicate with our offices directly.