patented medicines

The federal agency that regulates the price of patented medicines plans to relaunch consultations on the finer points of long-delayed drug-price reform, the agency announced on Wednesday, October 25, 2023.

Some Canadian patients and groups that advocate on their behalf are sounding the alarm about the federal government's recent changes to the way it regulates the cost of patented medicines.

The federal government is overhauling the way it regulates the cost of patented medicines, including ending comparisons to the United States — changes that Canada's health minister is billing as the biggest step towards lower drug prices in a generation.

Under almost any normal circumstance, the negotiation of a trade pact between countries should result in benefits for consumers, say experts who are closely watching the North American free trade talks unfold in Washington.