Helping make Canada’s drug system more sustainable and better prepared for the future
Ottawa – Canadians should be able to appropriately access and afford the prescription drugs they need. However, many Canadians are left vulnerable due to high drug costs, inaccessible health data, and the lack of consistent standards for prescribing practices.
To better understand these challenges, the Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office (CDATO) consulted extensively with provinces, territories (PTs) and key stakeholders to identify core gaps in the pharmaceutical system.
Today, as the next step in improving the pharmaceutical system in Canada, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced the creation of the Canadian Drug Agency (CDA). The CDA will provide the dedicated leadership and coordination needed to make Canada’s drug system more sustainable and better prepared for the future, helping Canadians achieve better health outcomes.
The CDA will be built from the existing Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) and in partnership with provinces and territories (PTs). The Government of Canada is investing $89.5 million over five years to establish the CDA, in addition to the existing federal funding of $34.2 million annually to support CADTH.
The CDA will incorporate and expand on CADTH’s expertise in the pharmaceutical sector, including its strong leadership and technical proficiency. The CDA will build on CADTH’s existing mandate and functions (health technology assessment, post-market safety and effectiveness) and expand them to include new work streams including:
- Improving the appropriate prescribing and use of medications, for better patient health and to support system sustainability;
- Increasing pan-Canadian data collection and expanding access to drug and treatment data, including real-world evidence data, to better support patients, inform health decisions and enable robust system data analytics; and
- Reducing drug system duplication and lack of coordination that causes expensive inefficiencies and pressures.
The Government will work with CADTH and PTs to develop the CDA. Once the CDA is operational, it will take on a greater role in the drug system to ensure Canadians can have better health outcomes and access the medications they need now and into the future.
“There are too many barriers to accessing the prescription drugs Canadians need. At the same time, many Canadians are suffering from being overprescribed medicines that impact both their health and their wallet. The establishment of the Canadian Drug Agency is an important step in supporting the long-term sustainability of Canada’s drug system, improving data quality, and ultimately helping Canadians improve their quality of life and overall health.” – Mark Holland, Minister of Health