Innovative Medicines Canada Applauds Premiers' Agreement at 2024 Council of the Federation Meeting to Accelerate Access to Life-Saving Medications

TORONTO, Dec. 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) welcomes the collective agreement amongst Canada's Premiers to take meaningful action that speeds up approvals for life-saving medications, as announced by Premier Doug Ford at the 2024 Council of the Federation press conference today in Toronto.

"Canada currently lags behind its G7 peers when it comes to approving and providing access to new medicines, and patients across the country are the ones paying the price," said Dr. Bettina Hamelin, President of Innovative Medicines Canada. "We are encouraged by today's announcement by Premier Ford of a pilot project that will cut the time to publicly list essential cancer drugs by up to nine months, ensuring faster access to innovative treatments for patients in need."

IMC recognizes the importance of collaboration in achieving these goals and supports the Premiers' call for all stakeholders—including drug manufacturers—to work together to deliver on this initiative. By ensuring that patients can benefit from Health Canada-approved treatments through initiatives like Project Orbis, this proposal marks a critical step toward closing access gaps that can arise immediately following a positive recommendation by Canada's Drug Agency, ultimately improving healthcare outcomes across the country.

IMC and its members remain committed to working with all levels of government, especially health ministers across the provinces, to make this vision a reality and accelerate access to innovative medicines for patients across Canada.

About Innovative Medicines Canada

Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) is the national association representing Canada's innovative pharmaceutical industry. The industry proudly supports over 100,000 high-value jobs, contributes a total of $16 billion to the economy, sponsors the majority of clinical trials in Canada, and invests close to $3 billion in research and development each year. IMC advocates for policies that enable the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative medicines and vaccines to improve the lives of all Canadians. The association and its members are committed to being solutions-oriented partners in Canada's healthcare system and have contributed over $30 million towards applied health systems research through the Health Research Foundation (HRF). Guided by the Code of Ethical Practices, all members work with governments, private payers, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders in a highly ethical manner.

SOURCE Innovative Medicines Canada