For Immediate Release
July 6, 2006

National Pharmaceuticals Strategy interim report still under wraps

Get serious about consultation and commitments, coalition demands

Toronto, Ontario – The Best Medicines Coalition (BMC) states that it is dismayed that there is still no tangible progress towards a National Pharmaceuticals Strategy (NPS). The long-awaited NPS progress report was considered yesterday at a closed door meeting of provincial and territorial health ministers in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Tabling of the report and recommendations is now slated for the First Ministers meeting in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on July 27-28.

“We continue to wait for specifics on a national pharmaceuticals strategy to effectively remove treatment barriers and give all Canadians safe, timely and equitable access,” 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. “There are urgent needs and it is time to move beyond generalities and vague promises and put forward defined options, timelines and commitments.”

“Patient involvement has been sorely lacking in this process. We will continue to be vigilant in demanding meaningful consultation, more aggressive and specific timelines as well as a strong and tangible commitment to improving treatment access,” Binder added.

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.