For Immediate Release
June 28, 2006

National Pharmaceuticals Strategy Task Force interim report imminent

Full consideration of patient-focussed options essential, coalition cautions

Toronto, Ontario – The Best Medicines Coalition (BMC) announced today that it is eagerly awaiting the interim report on the National Pharmaceuticals Strategy, (NPS) to be tabled on June 30 to the federal/provincial/territorial Health Ministers. The BMC will be vigilant in evaluating whether progress to date on NPS reflects the needs of the Canadian patients it is ultimately intended to serve.

Specifically, in addition to greater patient involvement in decision making, the BMC will be looking for policies which will facilitate treatment access. The organization’s central position is that narrowly defined considerations of cost containment have negative implications for patients while not ultimately generating cost savings across the healthcare system.

“In order to garner full support, a national pharmaceuticals strategy must eliminate barriers to treatment and provide safe, timely and equitable access. It must also embrace the concepts of patient involvement and public accountability, of which we have seen little thus far in this process,” said Louise Binder, chair of Best Medicines Coalition, a national group of organizations, whose members represent some 10 million Canadians living with or affected by chronic diseases.

“Given the lack of consultation to date, we await the interim report with some trepidation and we are anxious to see evidence that patients’ voices have been heard. The BMC expects meaningful consultation moving forward,” added Binder.

Five core recommendations for a patient-focussed NPS are outlined in the BMC Issue Paper on the National Pharmaceuticals Strategy as follows: a transparent consumer-centred post-approval treatment surveillance system for safety and effectiveness; a comprehensive strategy to provide treatment for rare disorders; a national drug pricing and purchasing plan; a program providing catastrophic drug coverage for those with chronic diseases; and a common drug formulary to ensure that every Canadian gets the right drug at the right time regardless of where they live and ability to pay.

The BMC was formed in 2000 as a grassroots group of consumer and advocate organizations. The BMC is a broad-based alliance of organizations and individuals working in or promoting education, care, research and consumer-focussed advocacy on issues related to drug review reform, drug access and health policy development. The members of the BMC represent Canadians living with or affected by chronic disease or illness.

BMC member groups endorsing this communication include: Arthritis Consumer Experts, Asthma Society of Canada, Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, Canadian Breast Cancer Network, Canadian Cancer Advocacy Network, Canadian Society of Intestinal Research, Canadian Treatment Action Council, Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada, Lymphoma Foundation Canada and Osteoporosis Canada.