US diplomatic pressure affects drug availability in Canada: Life-saving drugs delayed

 

 

The US administration’s global drug pricing policies and trade pressures are reportedly delaying or canceling the supply of new life-saving drugs in Canada. Global companies are falling behind in bringing even drugs officially approved by Health Canada to the market. The current crisis is mainly due to Canada’s strict drug price control standards and the US’s ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy framework.

In the past year, the supply of about 50 cutting-edge drugs for cancer, rare kidney diseases, and neurological disorders has been disrupted or canceled in Canada. For example, even though a new drug developed by Novartis Canada for the treatment of a rare kidney disease has received government approval, the company has stated that it will not launch it on the market due to the current economic and diplomatic situation. Manufacturers are withdrawing from distribution in countries like Canada, fearing that selling drugs at lower prices in other countries will significantly affect prices in the American market.

Health experts point out that even if a new drug is approved in Canada, it takes an average of more than two years for it to reach ordinary patients. Due to the long approval process and the decline in per capita profits, multinational companies’ preference for the lucrative American market has put the Canadian health sector in an urgent crisis. The medical community is putting strong pressure on the Canadian government to review drug testing standards and make timely changes to pricing policies to address this supply bottleneck that threatens patients’ lives.