Thank you.
Those who are familiar with the introduction of new drugs into the Canadian therapeutic arsenal, or elsewhere in the world, know that there is a very strict process to follow. In many cases, those costs are covered by provinces or the state. Furthermore, it must be demonstrated that this medication is superior to the current treatment.
In the case of implants, it is quite the opposite. The introduction by the industry of implants into the therapeutic arsenal was never subjected to that kind of performance requirement. To be admitted as a treatment, the implants only had to be safe. That was the main criterion. They also had to resemble an implant that was being currently used.
But why would implants or new technologies being introduced not be subjected to preclinical trials, as is the case for medications? This would allow us to avoid failures, repeated surgeries and enormous costs for health care. It would be even more relevant in cases where pre-existing treatments are working quite well.
In the absence of a functional treatment for patients, an accelerated introduction of drugs or treatments may be desirable, of course. However, when effective treatments are available to us, we should be more particular and ensure we are offering our patients better care, and not worse care than current treatments.