Winnipeg Free Press By: Nathan Clark Save to Read Later
IN mid-April, many political watchers throughout the country myself included were flabbergasted when a news release showed up in our inboxes announcing Manitoba-based truck drivers were eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in North Dakota.
Opinion
IN mid-April, many political watchers throughout the country myself included were flabbergasted when a news release showed up in our inboxes announcing Manitoba-based truck drivers were eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in North Dakota.
The most striking part of the announcement, made jointly by Premier Brian Pallister and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, was not the initial surprise that some Manitobans were being encouraged to leave the country to receive the vaccine. Rather, it was the very noticeable lack of representation at the virtual press conference from Canada’s federal government.
Canadian drug prices are cheaper because the Canadian government controls them.
In 1987 our northern neighbors created the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. This entity reviews drug prices and, if it finds a price for a particular drug excessive, the board will not pay for it. Since Canada has a nationalized health care system, as a practical matter, this means Canadians can t access those drugs.
Many Americans may seek out cheaper prescription drugs in Canada, but many Canadians come to the United States to get the care and medicine their country s government won t pay for or won t provide promptly.
But if price controls are good enough for Canadians, why not Americans too?
The latest edition of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) Meds Pipeline Monitor reports that oncology continued to dominate the therapeutic mix of the drug pipeline in 2020, with cancer treatments representing one third (35%) of medicines in all phases of clinical trials. Treatments for infectious diseases held the second largest share of the pipeline, at 13%, and are expected to grow in importance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meds Pipeline Monitor 2020 reviewed 935 new medicines in late stages of clinical evaluation to highlight drugs that could potentially impact the Canadian health care system. Among these, the PMPRB identified 16 late-stage new medicines, including five gene therapies, that may offer breakthroughs in treating previously unmet needs or have the potential to treat large patient populations, as well as six new medicines currently under review by Heath Canada. The report also provides an overview of the fast-moving pipeline for medicines and v
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