The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
Log in

Open Letter regarding Draft Guidelines Consultation at the Patent Medicine Price Review Board of Canada,

To Ms. Elana Lungu, 

Manager (Policy Development), Patent Medicine Price Review Board of Canada,

Thank you for your presentation on the draft guidelines for Patent Medicine Price Ceilings. On behalf of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, an organization representing 60, 000 public servants as well as thousands of its retired members, we wanted to submit our comments on the draft guidelines.

PIPSC believes that Canada’s drug pricing model must be based on efficiency, accessibility and health-outcomes. The proposed changes are far overdue. We are pleased to see the adoption of revised guidelines that will, we hope, correct a long-standing failure of public policy and normalize drug prices in Canada. We urge the PMPRB to continue full steam ahead to put these reforms in place as soon as possible.

We recognize the importance of an evidence-based approach to drug price regulation. In your presentations, we appreciate that you have dispelled the pervasive myth that fair drug pricing limits innovation, delays or prevents drug launches, and discourages research and development. It is important that Canadians know that these concepts are not linked. Fair pricing does not mean less access - if anything, it means more access.

We believe establishing price ceilings by way of reasonable international comparison, market analysis and pharmacoeconomics (the cost of a drug vis-a-vis its effectiveness) strikes a balance between rewarding drug innovation and affordability. These changes mark an important step toward the much needed universal public pharmacare plan.

We look forward to working with the PMPRB as it continues to advance toward a more efficient, accessible and fair model of determining drug prices. 

 

Thank you,

Debi Daviau
President

Published on 23 December 2019

22 January 2018
Separating

Statement on Unifor’s withdrawal from the Canadian Labour Congress

The news that Canada’s largest private-sector union, Unifor, has decided to withdraw its membership from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has taken many by surprise.
12 January 2018
Phoenix

Phoenix: Problems with Reporting Overpayments?

It has come to our attention that many of you who are trying to report overpayments by the January 19, 2018 deadline cannot get through to Contact Centre staff because of busy signals or being put on hold for extended periods.
20 December 2017
Announcement

President’s New Year Message 2018

Predictions are rarely 100% accurate. But some offer better-educated guesses than others. Here then are my forecasts (and a few resolutions) for the coming year.
24 November 2017
Phoenix

Don’t Blame Bargaining for Phoenix Failures

Earlier this month, PSPC Minister Carla Qualtrough asked me if I would be willing to negotiate simplifying some of the pay rules bargained over decades that, some claim, contribute to the dysfunction of the federal pay system.
8 November 2017
Announcement

PIPSC supports changes to Canadian bankruptcy and insolvency laws

Canadians should not have to worry about their retirement. But actions taken by the federal government raise questions about its commitment to enhancing retirement security for Canadians – a key promise in the last federal election.
7 November 2017
Message

PIPSC Salutes its Medical Radiation Therapists on MRT Week

Medical Radiation Therapist (MRT) Week, which recognizes the essential role these professionals play in Canada’s healthcare system, runs from November 5 to 11, 2017.