On March 22, 2023, the Minister of Health announced the first-ever National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases (additional background here). This strategy includes $1.5 billion invested to “increase access to, and affordability of, effective drugs for rare diseases to improve the health of patients across Canada, including children.” Funding will be directed as follows:
- Up to $1.4 billion to provinces and territories through bilateral agreements (to be negotiated) to improve and enhance access to drugs, early diagnosis and screening for rare diseases. To begin, the Government of Canada, provinces, and territories will determine a list of new drugs to be cost-shared and covered in a consistent way.
- $33 million over 3 years to Indigenous Services Canada's Non-Insured Health Benefits Program to support eligible First Nations and Inuit patients with rare diseases.
- $20 million over 3 years to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) to improve evidence collection and use.
- $32 million over 5 years to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to advance research in rare diseases.
- $16 million over 3 years to establish national governance structures.
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.
Related Publications & Articles
-
Medical Devices updates: Annual performance report, new guiding principles for PCCPs for machine learning-enabled medical devices, and regulatory enrolment processes
Explore the latest updates in the field of medical devices, including Health Canada's recently published annual report detailing metrics on the timeliness of pre-market medical device reviews.Read More -
Federal Court finds no procedural unfairness in Minister of Health’s decision that smoking cessation aid not a natural health product
On November 2, 2023, the Federal Court dismissed The Winning Combination (TWC)’s application for judicial review of Health Canada’s decision to refuse a natural health product licence for RESOLVE, a s...Read More -
Federal Court of Appeal dismisses appeal relating to Minister of Health’s decision to disclose records pursuant to Access to Information Act request
On November 1, 2023, the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) dismissed Actial’s appeal from an application for judicial review of the Minister of Health’s decision to disclose records pursuant to a request...Read More